Simon and I spent the weekend at Penrhos Cottage. This homely cottage, set in the beautiful Welsh Valley of Corris was the perfect escape from busy life. We dubbed Penrhos ‘The Lovely Cottage.’ Here are some photos (click any photo for full size image):
Simon popping his head out of The Lovely Cottage
Cosy & Homely.
The fireplace – we didn’t use it, as it was such good weather.
Practical Kitchen.
Bathroom 1
Bathroom 2. A shower big enough for two.
My bedroom.
Simon’s Bedroom.
It was wonderfully peaceful, especially with the whooshing from the stream set in the centre of the valley. The view was great:
The View 1.
The View 2.
We met the chickens, roosters and pigs that were in the field in front of the cottage:
The Chickens & Rooster.
The pigs.
The Lovely Penrhos Cottage is the the perfect place to holiday; whether you’re looking for quietness or activity. For those looking for quietness and contemplation you can chill out in the cottage or take long walks in picturesque countryside. If you’re looking for activity there’s plenty of tourist attractions just a short drive away. The cottage features include Wifi, a fully functioning kitchen and a washing machine. Children and dogs are welcome.
It struck me that Penrhos Cottage would make a superb cottage for writers taking a writing holiday. Simon and I left The Lovely Cottage feeling rested, relaxed and recharged.
In Mid-Wales, Part 2 I’ll tell you about Aberdovey Beach, King Arthur’s Labyrinth and my fabulous gay mirror.
Two or three months ago, I had loads going on and was stressed to the hilt. It was like plates spinning. I’m Reiki One Qualified (see Reiki one – Qualified) so technically I can heal myself; but I had some birthday money left over so decided to treat myself.
I booked a Reiki session at Halsa Healing. I left feeling great, completely de-stressed, relaxed, energised and so amazingly well. I decided to make it a regular monthly treat. Well…when I can afford it anyway.
So what is Reiki? Well…
(Image Credit: Isis Jade)
On my last Reiki session, I had a rather spiritual experience that I’d like to share with you.
I lay on the massage table with my eyes closed. The relaxing music soothed my ears, as I felt the Reiki flow into me from the Reiki Practitioner.
As the session continued I began to sense two streams of Reiki entering my body, one into my chest (heart chakra) and one into my feet (root chakra). I double-checked using my senses. Yes I could definitely feel two streams Reiki energy, even down to the associated physical tingling and heat.
How is this possible? I thought.
I briefly opened my eyes. Louise, the Reiki practitioner was to my side her hands over my chest. I glanced down at my feet to see a bright white humanoid figure of pure energy. His hands were cupped slightly and sending Reiki energy into the top my feet. It was kind of like the image above, only minus the wings and much whiter. It’s difficult to describe the beauty of the energy I felt from this being. I definitely got a feeling of safety, home and hugs from this being.
For a split-second I thought that it might be Alex (see Thinking of You Often…). But my intuition told me that is wasn’t. I was sure of this, as sure as I am of the fact that the sky is blue. I got a distinct feeling that this being had never been on this physical plane. Or at least not for many, many lifetimes.
After the Reiki session had come to the end, I told Louise about my experience. She said it could have been one of my spirit guides or possibly one of hers – helping her out.
I am aware of spirit guides and have done some work with them in the past. But not for years. So I read up on spirit guides. This basic but really interesting Q & A article is great for anyone new to spirit guides.
Then I found this fantastic guided meditation on YouTube to help people meet and communicate with their spirit guides:
Click here to display content from www.youtube.com
I completed this meditation with the hope of finding out if it was one of my guides that was healing me during the Reiki session. If it was, I wanted to meet him and get to know him better. I can’t remember all the details of the meditation now; but I can remember meeting him.
I met this broad-shouldered man, strong looking. Strong hands. Made me feel safe. With a warm Smile. He was hansom – sharp jawline, green eyes, short hair with a quiff at the front. He was wearing a green jumper and possibly jeans. I asked his name telepathically. He answered the same way, saying that his name was Matt. I asked him what was his purpose was, as part of my spirit guide team. He answered with: Protection.
He was/is there to keep me safe. I understood my feelings of safety, home and hugs that I had when I first met him in the Reiki session. I always imagined that my spirit guide for protection would be a samurai warrior, in the full gear. Well…at least that’s what I’ve always imagined standing guard outside of my cast circles.
The reiki session and the guided meditation were amazing spiritual experiences. They wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been relaxed and open to them. So the lesson here is: always try be open to new spiritual experiences.
A few years ago I used to set yearly goals, then I decided to have goals without the year end marking the deadline for their completion. But thinking about 2013, I really want to have new experiences that encourage my growth as a person. So I’ve set myself some monthly challenges:
January – Do something that makes you feel uncomfortable.
February – Take a photo every day.
March – Be honest. Don’t lie, not even those little white lies.
April – Socialise in new places and meet new people.
May – See the sun rise & set (not necessarily on the same day).
June – Do something for someone else that is completely selfless.
July – Visit a site of historical significance.
August – Try a food that you would usually turn you’re nose up at saying you don’t like it before you’ve even tried it.
One weekend a few weeks ago on a gorgeous, bright sunny day Chrys, Simon, two of Chrys’ visiting foreign friends and I went for a day trip to Liverpool. I’ve not been to Liverpool in years and don’t know the city well. So we were really lucky to have a proper scouser in Chrys. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide to show us around her lovely city.
One of Chrys foreign friends has a love of architecture and photography and Liverpool is full of beautiful architecture. The foreign friend pointed out many grand architectural features at high points on the buildings. I’m not normally one to notice architecture, so her pointing it made me notice the detailed carvings in the stone.
Here’s a man holding a torch which is an example of the architecture I’m talking about along with a fountain that caught my eye (click on any of the photos on this blog post to see a full size image):
Next Chrys showed us where The Beatles started off at The Cavern Club:
Opposite The Cavern Club is ‘Liverpool Wall Of Fame’ (photo right). It’s got a gold disk for every liverpudlian whose had a Number 1 Single in the charts.
As I was taking in the graffiti people from seemingly all over the world had written, I noticed this:
It was a statement somebody had written that read: “Everyone and everything in this universe is interconnected
Stay true to your heart and you’ll see the signs
Follow the signs to uncover your destiny”
I was shocked to see something so deep written. It reminded me to keep listening to my heart and to keep an eye out for signs from the universe in my daily life.
Chrys treated us to a cruise on the ferry across the Mersey. The sun was hot but it was cooled by the breeze. As the ferry sailed along I found the combination of the sunshine, breeze and movement very relaxing. I got to see the fantastic Liverpool skyline and found the history of the Mersey, Liverpool and the docks coming over the tannoy really interesting.
We did a full circle on the ferry getting off where we’d started. Then we decided to walk along the Mersey on the way to the docks.
(Waiting to get on the ferry.)
Along the Mersey front we saw these:
There was some debate as to whether they were sheep, dogs or some other animal. They reminded me of The CowParade in Manchester (see CowParade Gallery for photos). Simon explained to me that these pieces of art work had at one time been dotted around Liverpool like the CowParade. I was pleased that Liverpool had kept these and displayed them on the Mersey front.
We approached the docks with the various bars, shops and resturants. I really wanted to get a photo of the dry docks, but unfortunately they were carrying out work on them. So here’s a photo of a “wet” dock:
After having a look around a few shops, we decided to head to a traditional pub as Chrys and Simon wanted to show the rest of us the immaculate toilets. Before jumping in the taxi I saw this yellow submarine and just had to take a photo:
We reached the pub and all enjoyed a drink before realising just how late it was, just after six. Chrys’ two foreign friends had really enjoyed themselves and informed us that as a thank you they would cook tea when we get home to Chrys’. Chrys wanted to show them one last place on route to the train station, the Catholic Church:
(Above Left: The Catholic Church, Right: Architecture on the Catholic Church.)
Apparently Jesus goes home at six, back to Chrys’ cellar as does the Catholic priests as the Church was closed. So we didn’t get to see the inside which is apparently beautiful. We headed back to Chrys’ on the train.
When we arrived at Chrys’ Simon got the fire going, Chrys and I made the garden look pretty with candles and Chrys’ two foreign friends got busy in the kitchen. I started to flag at this point as I’d only had about three hours sleep the night before. By the time we all sat down to eat my stomach was churning due to tiredness and I wasn’t able to eat anything. But it smelt delicious and I thanked them for their culinary efforts after I explained why I wasn’t eating. We said our goodbyes and I headed for home.
It was a wonderful day and I’d just like to thank Chrys, Simon and Chrys’ two foreign friends for a great day trip.
Are you a Doctor, Nurse, Healthcare Assistant or Other Healthcare Professional? Or a Student?
Ways The Human Body Can Go Wrong covers every system of the body, what can go wrong when the body malfunctions or fails, symptoms (including why these happen) and cures/treatments available.
It includes knowledge around essential skills for Clinical Excellence such as Assessment, All Age Observational Norms, Models of Care, Communication/Handover Tips, the role of Specialities, Medication Tips, Dealing with Errors, Documentation Advice and a list of Useful Resources.
It is written in plain English, but highlights important medical terminology. It has been written at a level where someone from a non-medical background can pick it up and learn, but that it is still valuable to those with significant Clinical Experience.
My dear friend Roy decided to follow in his family’s footsteps and enlist in the Royal Navy.
I wanted to maintain our friendship, to continue to support Roy, to make him laugh and to entertain him. So I came up with the idea of sending him a weekly email on random topics.
These emails were on a variety of topics, always being entertaining, sometimes being interesting, sometimes funny and occasionally being serious.
Topics included: Jokes, Puzzles, Inspirational Quotes, Future Technology to Be Excited About, How to Fight A Shark, How to Woo A Turtle, Some of the Most Amazing Jobs in the World, Facts About Castles, Do Aliens Exist?, The Kindest Humans, A List of Cakes, 13 Weird Body Facts, 20 Super Space Facts, Ancient Egyptian Curses, 10 Weird Olympic Games, The Great Emu War of 1932, Quiz: Flags of the World, Legendary Characters from the UK and others.
My Royal Navy Friend is a copy of these emails. In total, there are 52 emails. Dispersed throughout the book are also Royal Navy facts and stories.
This workbook has been designed for anyone that is struggling with alcohol or has struggled with alcohol in the past.
It is written in a Motivational Interviewing style, one of the key therapies used to support people with alcohol issues. It has been designed using a trauma-informed approach and is strength–based.
What you will find in this book is more than just worksheets about alcohol. You’ll find all the tools someone needs to get into recovery from alcohol and stay there. It’s a therapy-based book, not an alcohol-based book.
SpellCast is a comprehensive compendium of spells, oils, charms and talismans. It is purely a book about magic, folk magic for the 21st century. The spells are ones that are tried and tested, with some that will stand the test of time.
In SpellCast you will read about the power of Instant Magic, of Banishment & Bindings, Blessings, Cleansing, Communication, Death, Employment, Finance & Money, Fertility, Friendship, Happiness & Joy, Health, Love & Relationships, Luck Magic, Protection, Transformative Magic and WishCraft.
This book will change your life. Your life will be abundant in all meanings of the word.
This book contains everything that you need to know about mental health and mental illness. Mental Health Wisdom is divided into three sections.
Understanding is section one and is all about the facts of mental health.
In section two, Empathy Through Lived Experience, the author shares his personal experience of mental illness.
Life Hacks is section three. It’s all about self-care and quick and easy ways to improve your mental health, prevent mental illness or relapse of mental illness.
Mental Health Wisdom contains everything that you need to know about mental health and mental illness.
Mental Health Wisdom is divided into three sections.
Understanding is section one and is all about the facts of mental health.
In section two, Empathy Through Lived Experience, the author shares his personal experience of mental illness.
Life Hacks is section three. It’s all about self-care and quick and easy ways to improve your mental health, prevent mental illness or relapse of mental illness.
If you find my blog educational or entertaining, please consider making a purchase or donation on Ko-Fi.
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