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Katie's Letter -

Beauty Routine Review Every year I notice that we become busier as we come into September. It seems that once the long summer is over and the children are back to school, there is time to take some extra care of our health and beauty routines. Think of all those days, either visiting Safari or Theme Parks or sunning ourselves on foreign beaches and taking a dip in the sea or pool to cool off. All good fun and a little stressful sometimes. So it is good to treat ourselves and make a plan with a healthy eating routine, perhaps...

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The fig harvest is underway at last and Marvina who manages our herbs and fruits (and generally creates domestic harmony) is making a delicious and nutritious Fig Cordial to a recipe of the respected traditional author, Mrs. Genery-Taylor. This book was passed to Marvina by a wise Cotswolds country gentleman some 20 years ago. It is full of fascinating practical country recipes. The fig tree is well positioned on a South Facing wall. This year it has grown in size and produced the biggest harvest ever. One has to be diligent in the daily collection or the birds and wasps...

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Our Moira went to Spain recently and took our new insect repellent with her. She used it daily. She applied it, as recommended, on the inside of her arms from wrist to elbow. She was not bitten at all, although other members of her party suffered constant attention from the little creatures. She returned to England and went to bowls (she is an enthusiastic member of a local bowls team) without applying the lotion and suffered a nasty bite, which was very irritating. After suffering the irritation for some while, she applied the Yin Yang Insect Repellent to the affected...

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ARTICLE IN THE GOOD HEALTH SECTION OF TODAY’S DAILY MAIL BY HARRIET SERGEANT TITLED: The hormone gel that can banish depression in women Harriet Sergeant is a very serious journalist, has written 3 worldly books and is a research fellow for the Policy Studies and the Independent Think Tank for whom she writes in depth articles on important social matters of the day. Her latest book is “AMONG THE HOODIES – my years with a teenage gang”. It tells of her extraordinary friendships. During the last year I have seen her on the panel of QUESTION TIME. Harriet is very...

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RED VALERIAN is a favourite plant of mine, which was introduced to Beechgrove Herb Garden about 10 years ago, when I was given a few roots from a friend. It has, since then spawned hundreds of cheerful offspring in all corners of the garden. It grows anywhere – its seeds floating on the breeze until they find crannies in walls, gravel or brick paths, where they can establish their habitats. They are hardly categorised as a herb although the leaves can be used as a vegetable and in France the roots are used in soups. Despite their lack of medicinal...

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