A Summer Reign of mindfulness…

• So far, the Summer of Sweet Seventeen has been kind to me.
• Sleeves are finished, they are very bright, lots of rose red, pink, turquoise and ocean blues.
• I made a banging carrot, orange and pumpkin cake. The topping was coconut cream and few dates, which made it taste soft and creamy as any non-vegan carrot, organge and pumpkin cake should be.
• The strawberry patch is looking pretty sexy.
• I took some photos of my favourite place in Guernsey to run, St Saviour’s Reservoir. It’s beautiful, peaceful, luscious and always a delight.

The news of a terror attack in Manchester was heart breaking, my thoughts and prayers are with those that have suffered a tragic loss and trauma. I was on the London underground for the morning commute on 7/7 and had a lucky escape. Commuting to work or going to a concert should not end in tragedy and trauma. I feel the pain, anguish and grief of those affected. I will never forget my first gig, it’s a memory that plays on my heart now, quietly, tenderly, and close. I hold that memory in my heart, like a hand, never letting go. I cannot forgive or forget how much terror and violence interrupts and punctuates our normal daily lives, freedom, and our rights to be who we wish to be in the world. Fear is no way to live.

THE BODY SHOP

I worked  for The Body Shop for just under a decade. I was a weekend shop-girl in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, whilst I was a student at The University Of Warwick. I was a Store Manager in Camden, London and in the Home Counties after I graduated. I loved it! I had met Anita Roddick and when I lost my partner to pancreatic Cancer in 2008, the CEO of the company put his arm around me at the annual conference (having heard that I was taking a secondment to the Guernsey Store, in the Channel Islands) and said that there would be a good Guernsey man for me there. He was not wrong. There’s a special place in my heart for The Body Shop and my bathroom cabinet. I use all of the above on a daily basis and have done for the past 15 years!

Products come and go. I miss the Vanilla Body Spray, circa 2004 – 2013. I miss the pineapple facial wash and the Amlika Leave-In Conditioner. And I associate mango and banana with a magical trip to work at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002. Every time I use those products I am transported back to that time and place. Coconut Body Butter is also a favourite staple of mine; nothing compares.

My older sister was the person that first got me hooked on The Body Shop. Her bedroom was a fantasy world of everything I wanted to be and she had a long sleeved t-shirt with a slogan from The Body’s Shop activist heyday. She used their products, which to me was symbolic for being older, wiser and everything that my big sister was to me. When I landed my first job the company was re-filling bottles, ahead of its time. I would disappear into the back area and make a mess trying to hand pump banana conditioner from a huge bottle into a small one for a customer. Me and another colleague would bring our hangovers into the store on a Sunday and spend time messing around with make-up, on ourselves and on customers, for the day. I loved every minute of it! When I moved to London, after graduating, I was broke, depressed and dissillusioned. The Body Shop had a vacancy and that was me, managing various stores, for a good, long time until I found my self in a blind state of grief running the store in St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands. My love for The Body Shop is real.

THE SIX-MONTH CUT & COLOUR

My last hair cut and colour held its own for six-months, or rather I could put off making an appointment for six-months. I’m sure that this one will go the same distance. Thankyou Wynne & Wynne, St Peter Port, Guernsey. It’s good to have a hairdresser that knows your psychology! I like just letting my hair be for as long as I can, with minimal fuss and bother. This cut and colour lets me do just that, and I’m very grateful. It shows the power of Wynne & Wynne’s strong empathic connection with clients, every business and public service should hold that to account, more. It works!

The rule about going 2 shades lighter or 2 shades darker, than your natural haircolour, is a truth that takes courage to follow.