The hot and sticky summer months can leave everyone struggling, but warm weather can be particularly tough when having, or recovering from, cancer treatment. Illness may mean our body temperature fluctuates. Children and those in their later years are less able to control their temperature through the body's natural cooling systems, so may overheat more easily. And certain medications can add to the problems - hormone…
How amazing has this recent sunshine and warmth been! Just what we have all needed, and even more so for my patients, who have struggled to pull themselves and their bodies through the dark and cold winter.
When the sun shines, everything brightens and the colours of produce seem more vivid, from ruby red tomatoes to deep green salad leaves and the pink and enticing early rhubarb. Simply taking a walk to the greengrocer…
Herbs really are a tonic, bringing flavour to our food and life to our homes. A few pots on a cool windowsill, a balcony or the kitchen table look and smell wonderful, and are ready to be snipped and sprinkled onto dishes to add their pungent freshness. A good friend of mine who is unwell at the moment calls it 'assembling'. When she has only enough energy to put a few ingredients together, she adds herbs to impart their…
For the past few years I've spent a couple of dark, rainy March evenings creating a moodboard to set the scene and vibe for the 12 months I'd love to have (why March? Because hopeful spring is on its way and New Year is loaded with too much pressure). I've always been a visual person, loving colour, textures, the patina of old against minimal new, and I find that looking at my collage of magazine pictures, words, photos…
Losing someone we care deeply about is not only emotionally devastating; physically, it can throw our body into turmoil, with lack of sleep, shock, and grief causing chaos with our appetite and digestion. Many people find it difficult to eat anything at all. And when you do eat, you may get heartburn, bloating or tummy upsets, such as diarrhoea. The dishes our well-meaning friends have prepared for us get picked at or…
