Sunny days

This is the view from our kitchen window. How lucky we are! When the water main burst in Cranleigh the other day (disaster) it meant washing up duties were suspended (not such a disaster…). Peering out of the window past the marigold gloves and washing up liquid we started to daydream, wondering at the scenery. Cherry blossom, pear blossom, apple blossom and the magnolia tree with the old oaks in the background.

Our clients were getting creative in the spring sunshine with their cameras and paint brushes this week. They tell us that Simply Healing is the perfect escape from all the pressures of everyday life. Our guests come from all corners of the world and we tell them that this is England at its best: sunloungers, suncream , stunning views and a good book.

But what a difference a day makes – the next day it’s 60 mph wind, heating back on, logs on the fire, hot water bottles… how do we excuse this offensive change to our weather?

We try to explain that we do have lovely springs (that do last longer than two days) and we’ve been taking lots of photos just to prove that the sun does come out sometimes. Here’s our gallery of pictures of our one perfect sunny spring day here on the hill at ‘Simply Healing’.

These are just some of the views from our bedroom windows in the house. If you go down to the woods today you are sure of a big surprise – all the bluebells and anemones are out, and all is peaceful. The bluebell woods are a sight to behold and are one of England’s unique phenomena.

The cuckoo is out househunting and looking for free childcare. There’s a legend that if you hear the cuckoo at sunrise it brings seven years bad luck. But Kate and I, well, we heard it as the sun was going down so this must mean good fortune…

Vivien

Spring cleaning

How different everything looks when we wake up and go to bed in daylight. I don’t know if any of you saw the brilliant golden moon two days ago, which was so bright and beautiful at 4am that one of our guests got up to take a photo. How different life can look when we have more light.

The seasons of light can have a huge impact on the physical body. Increased light has the power to help chase away those old blues – but it also shows up all those windows that need cleaning. We see what we’ve accumulated through the winter days and nights, and what needs addressing.

There are 42 rooms at Simply Healing, so as you can imagine  the window cleaning is a mammoth task. But recently those dull windows have had a spring clean and are sparkling.

It’s not just the house that needs spring cleaning, though – the body does too. When you take off your boots and remove those layers of jumpers you may realise that your body has taken on a few pounds and a whole host of toxins. So at this time of year there’s nothing better than to take some time for yourself to give your body back its sparkle.

You can start your spring clean before you arrive. Wake up with a mug of hot water and lemon – it’s the best possible beginning to your spring cleaning regime. Afford yourself a bit of extra time in the morning to enjoy the early sunlight. Make yourself a juice (recipe coming soon).

England’s weather is so changeable that we never know when we’ll need to layer up or peel off. It seems like we’re always trying to decide when to light the log fires and when to open the windows, whether to wheel out the sun loungers or put warm blankets on the sofas… We feel like weather vanes, constantly trying to detect the way the wind’s blowing! But of course we must value the unique climate we have here in England, because the changing seasons bring great beauty. And particularly our little microclimate on the hill at Simply Healing.

And now for some exciting client news. Mother and daughter Caroline and Caelia were detoxing here last week in preparation for Caelia’s wedding day – which is today. They left us glowing on a perfect spring Tuesday, having been rubbed, scrubbed, lotioned and potioned to within an inch of their lives. Caelia said ‘I just hope the weather will be like this on my wedding day’ and I said I’d get my magic wand out for her… And lo and behold, having had two cold days, today the sun shone for the beautiful bride and her future husband, who are getting married in a magical castle not far from here. We wish them lots of happiness and look forward to seeing the photos!

Get ready to sparkle (preferably with these two helping)…

Vivien

Simply ready for every eventuality

We have had an amazing winter here at Simply Healing, detoxing and relaxing around the log fires with our great guests. And now spring, if we can call it that (ha ha) has arrived; the gorgeous daffodils are in full bloom all around us in the garden. The birds are singing, brightening our day, and the colourful green woodpecker is busy making holes in the apple tree (can you spot him?)…

The white barn owl who lives up the road flies regularly over our fields hunting for his family’s supper. He seems to be quite an exhibitionist, delighting our guests with his displays – and with binoculars and cameras at the ready they have been capturing this rare sight (but quite usual for us):

It has made us all more aware of how lucky we are to be living and working in such a beautiful environment. Nature at its best. Now we’re just hoping that the avenue of chestnut trees that line the drive are in recovery.

Fawlty Towers moments at Simply Healing never cease to make us (and our guests) laugh. One guest (who we will not name), who has never had the pleasure of a real log fire, spent her days reading, relaxing and replenishing the fire with logs. Of course we kept a very keen eye on her at first as the logs were a bit precarious. But as time went on she became a master – or so we thought! Before retiring for the night I did my usual check of all the fires, the fire in the main sitting room faintly glimmering. Just by chance Kate and I decided to watch ten minutes of TV. Then we heard the dreaded beep of the alarm. Poor Kate had just made a visit to the bathroom as the alarm control panel started to beep, and not long after, all forty two alarms went full pelt. Kate rushed upstairs to make sure all was well and assembled everyone in the hall. They all came down to the hall in their dressing gowns, with car keys, handbags and coats in tow.

When checking where the problem had occurred, we discovered the main sitting room thick with grey smoke, the result of a log having fallen slightly forward. After reassuring the girls that it was only smoke, myself and Hermione (one of our regular guests) opened all the windows, but still the alarms rang. We then decided to do a fan dance, jumping up and down using brochures and magazines to clear the smoke. Eventually it cleared. Everybody gathered in the hallway and we had such a laugh about the things that they decided to rescue. We spent an hour laughing at how we dealt with the situation – it was a real release.

Kate and I tucked everybody back into bed and reassured them that we would sit up for the next hour until the alarms had settled down. Never a dull moment here at Simply Healing – we really should make a TV series.

Laughter is the best tonic!

Vivien

Moving in

We have returning guests that love certain rooms. They have been before and have their favourite rooms that give them that wonderful home from home feeling, where they can’t wait to get in, unwind, and make themselves a herbal tea.

And then the fun begins, because they know their way around, they know what to expect and they can help those that are new and are nervous along the way. They reassure them that the colonics are amazing, the treatments are fantastic, and the juices are sublime. Everyone helps the newcomers to ease in gently. For those that return – we’re very privileged to have so many return guests, who know exactly what therapies they love and are happy to see what new ones we’ve developed – there are always new recipes and treatments for them to try out and enjoy.

We all inspire our guests to go home and maintain the feeling of wellbeing and we love the feedback and all the emails that they send stating they’ve lost even more weight, their energy’s great, they’re getting comments from friends, family and colleagues complimenting them on how great they look – and good news travels fast.

And soon new clients become old friends and before we know it, they’re recommending us to others and making Simply Healing part of their yearly health regime.

Thank you all for spreading the word to your friends and family so that they can also enjoy optimum health. It’s a real joy for me to see how people connect over the common theme of detoxing their health and their happiness. They make friends, they share emails, tweet each other and in a lot of cases they plan to return together so that they can catch up on what they’ve been doing since our last visit.

Looking forward to sunny days and long summer nights with you all – and one chore that I will not miss when this chilly spell is over is what the house parlour maid had to do in the olden days – cleaning out the fireplaces every morning!

Vivien

 

Time for soup!

It’s so cold at the moment that it feels like spring has moved in reverse and we’re back to winter. Here’s a nice soup to you warm you up!

Warming parsnip soup

Parsnips taste best after a sharp frost as the cold turns the starch into sugar and enhances the sweetness.

2lb parsnips

1 onion (chopped)

2 garlic cloves (crushed)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

2 pints vegetable stock

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Heat up a dash of olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onions until soft. Add the stock (make it quick!) and pop in the parsnips and simmer for twenty minutes (do not leave to get too soggy).

Add seasoning (cumin, coriander and garlic) and blitz with a hand blender.

Sprinkle with fresh chives and croutons and serve.

Sit by the window, relax in a nice warm comfortable chair and enjoy a glow from within!

Make Mum’s Day

Simply Healing have created a couple of recipes for our hardworking mums this Mother’s Day; easy to follow by kids of all ages! Pour one of these delicious treats into a long glass with a pretty stirrer and serve up to Mum this Sunday with an order to put her feet up.

 

Energy booster

3 peaches

3 apricots

1 nectarine

 

Pass through the juicer and top with a shaving of organic white chocolate.

 

Stress-busting smoothie (perfect for enjoying with the Sunday papers)

2 bananas (peeled)

2 dates (pitted)

2 apricots

Cup natural bio yoghurt

 

Whizz in the blender until smooth and top with a few almond flakes.

 

Simply Fertility

When previous guests at Simply Healing send us photos of their treasured babies all you can hear in the place is “oh”, “aah”, “sweet”, “beautiful” “lovely!”. It is always a joy when our clients let us know that they have been successful in conceiving after doing our Fertility Enhancement Plan.

We take great interest for the next nine months until the baby is born and we always look forward to the photos. Over the years there have been so many and the photo gallery is always growing.

I had a surprise meeting when I was out shopping recently. Someone called out “Hello Vivien!” and I have to say it took me all of several seconds to recognise the face. Her words were: “do you remember me?” and I said “I do – the mother of the  twins!” who incidentally are now 12 years old – George and Harry. I clearly remember her bringing them to see me when they were about nine months old, her husband and herself being thrilled to have such beautiful boys and to thank me for my support, help and healing.

I have many lovely stories just like this one and it always warms my heart when I know that myself and the Simply Healing team have played a part in another family’s joy.

Spring is in the air and that means another bumper crop will on its way soon!

Vivien