Wellbeing with Rosanna

01/02/2022

💐A very flowery start to the month🌷

Well February has got off to a lovely sunny start hasn’t it – long may it continue ☀️

Today was also the day that I received my first flowers from my subscription and they have truly lifted my day 😊

Back in late December I received a beautiful arrangement from Freddie’s Flowers as a thank gift from a very lovely client. And I got so much pleasure from arranging and displaying these flowers that I decided to set up a regular subscription for myself! 💐💖

This week’s arrangement is called Rosey Cheeks and I’m loving the colour combinations especially the deep burgundy/purple & the antique pink – lush! It also has Lisianthus, which is one of my all-time favourite flowers and some delightfully cheerful snapdragons. What more could I need when the branches are still looking rather bare in the garden!

Even better is that everyone who visits my treatment room this week gets to enjoy them too as they are on display right in front of the treatment chair 🌷😃👣

Hope your February has got off to a great start too.

Rosanna x

28/01/2022

🐦 How easy do you find it to identify the birds visiting your garden? Especially the little brown & grey ones?

We’ve had a lot more birds visiting this winter maybe because I’ve left lots of seed heads on plants and there is still an abundance of crab apples on the tree as well as catkins on the birch tree. And I’ve been enjoying watching them flit from tree to bird feeder back to tree.

So I hopped over to the RSPB website to learn more about identifying them and then noticed it was this weekend (28th-30th January). Here’s how it works:

1. Watch the birds around you for one hour.

2. Count how many of each species of bird lands in your garden. For example, you see 1 blackbird and then later you see a group of 3 blackbirds, so you record the highest number which is 3.

3. Go to the RSPB website and log your numbers.

Over a million people took part last year!

I decided to do some swatting up first using online guides to the commonest garden birds in the UK. And this is how I learnt to identify the dunnocks from the female house sparrow – through their beaks, head& chest colours & their song.

The excitement I felt when I realised I could tell them apart makes my 10-days of self-imposed Covid-related isolation all worth it (the whole household is now back to testing negative and Ollie & I somehow didn’t catch it from the highly infectious pair!)

A dunnock is actually singing as I write this – I would record it if the sound of me opening the window wouldn’t immediately spook it!

So why not give some bird watching a go this weekend and do watch out for my new favourite little brown & grey bird – the dainty dunnock 🐦

Rosanna x

27/01/2022

I've been swatting up and trying to identify the birds visiting my garden ahead of taking part in this weekend's # BigGardenBirdwatch Then I got sidetracked by the RSPB's garden bird quiz!! Turns out I'm a Robin - "a brightly-coloured, independent and solitary bird, and happy that way. You love to sing your musical flute-like song all year round". Not sure the quiz has taken into account my questionable singing ability or the cosy grey hoodie I'm currently wearing 😂 Which garden bird are you? Do let me know. Rosanna x

Take our quiz to find out which garden bird you are.

21/01/2022

🦠This week I’ve had some unexpected self-isolation time off and have come to the realisation that I’m finally ready to pursue wisdom over knowledge🧐

I’ve noticed that I find it much harder to let go of “stuff” related to subjects I’ve studied, than anything else in my life. I have drawers & folders overflowing with scientific papers, workbooks, course manuals, textbooks and written notes.

Not to mention my poor overburdened computer that is literally drowning in images, photos, audio & video files as well as thousands upon thousands of work documents. Do I refer back to any of these very often? Not really, if at all🤷‍♀️

So, it’s time to do some deep pruning and to let go of much of this accumulation of knowledge and create some much needed physical & mental space –maybe even allow in a smattering of wisdom 😆

I’ve started gently by unsubscribing from any email list that doesn’t make me smile when I see them pop into my inbox. This felt strangely liberating as it means tackling my FOMO on every new way of thinking or latest scientific discoveries or voucher codes. Next stop my 15-drawer filing unit – I plan to put on some uplifting music and switch on the shredder & see how I get on.

How about you, is there an area of your life that is calling out for a declutter? It’s a great way to get old, stale energy flowing again and I’m looking forward to feeling clearer and ready for the new adventures 2022 has in store 🦙🏔

Wishing you a lovely weekend. Rosanna x

15/01/2022

☕️What do you find replenishing on a misty murky start to the weekend?

I don’t know about you, but my week has absolutely flown by and has felt surprisingly productive. So, I’m definitely in need of some replenishment this morning before getting swept up in the bustle of the weekend.

At first glance my garden was not providing much in the way of inspiration, but then I realised that there are still birds hopping around from tree to tree to feeding station to crab apple tree, they are just a bit quieter than on bright sunny mornings.

So, I’ve just sat for 20 minutes watching them – from the cosiness of an armchair in my garden room (am not ready to sit outside and chill my bones!) While slowly sipping my new favourite drink – Chai latte with foamed milk. A beautifully calm and replenishing way to start my day before my boys are even awake.

How about you – what small act of self-care could elevate your weekend?

With warmest wishes
Rosanna x

13/01/2022

If you have preteen/teen girls and live in the Maidenhead area, check out these new yoga classes run by the lovely Gale Hubbard. Both my boys did yoga with her (many moons ago!) and her classes are fabulous xx

NEW YOGA FOR GIRLS AGED 11 - 16 || Hello 2022! Our mission to support women through movement to feel good about themselves and their lives will this year extend to teenage girls too. And we couldn't be more excited!

So many girls will experience change and challenges at this time, can feel they don't enjoy the same activities as they used to, or even see activity drop off altogether.

These classes are a fun opportunity to get active, connect with others and find balance. Classes are specifically designed to support developing bodies and minds, and involve a combination of yoga postures, breath play, mindfulness practice and relaxation.

Run by our experienced Yoga teacher Gale Hubbard, classes are themed with opportunities for the girls to explore their senses and imagination, connect with others in a non-competitive environment, and importantly unplug from the digital world for a time.

Grab a spot at our free taster using the link below 👇

05/01/2022

✨Wishing you a very happy New Year full of abundance, peace and joy ✨

I love the fresh new feeling that a new year brings and hope that you are having a great start to 2022.

I’m full of beans this morning as the Treatment Room feels all fresh and sparkly ready for me to fling open the doors (and windows!) and welcome in my first clients of the year😊👣

Whatever you are up to today, I hope it goes really well.
Rosanna x

29/12/2021

💐 “I’d rather have roses on my table, than diamonds on my neck.” – Emma Goldman, anarchist political activist & writer, 1869-1940 🌹

I love the fact that alongside being a political activist in the 19th centaury, Emma Goldman still had time to enjoy flowers and I thoroughly agree with her in that I’d prefer beautiful flowers over diamonds any day 😊

So, on this rather dull, drizzly day it was a delightful surprise to receive a gorgeous “thank you” bouquet from from one of my amazing & lovely clients 🥰 They came with step-by-step instructions of how to arrange them – ideal for this complete flower arranging novice!!

They look very elegant next to my beloved amethyst and I now get to thoroughly enjoy these beautiful flowers as we say goodbye to the old year and hello to the new 🎆

✨ Why not go and dig out something beautiful to display today to counteract all this greyness and surround it with some tealights or little fairy lights (or both!) – and the day will suddenly feel so much brighter ✨

Rosanna xx

11/10/2021

🎉 Today marks the 95th birthday of Thich Nhat Hahn 🎉

I am starting my week with a smile 😃 - just thinking of this wonderful monk who has devoted his life to spreading love, compassion, and joy around the world 🌍

Thich Nhat Hahn (or Thay to his community) was born in Vietnam in 1926. He became a Zen Buddhist monk at the age of sixteen and was then exiled in 1966 for promoting peace. Not to be deterred he then tried to broker peace by travelling to America, in an attempt to bring the war between these 2 countries to an end!

Widely credited with bringing Zen Buddhism to the West, Thay has published over 100 books full of insightful teachings all suffused with love & joy. Finally allowed back into his beloved Vietnam, he has spent his recent years leaving a peaceful life surrounded by love in a Buddhist community in his native land.

There is an abundance of quotes, verses & stories I could have chosen from to mark Thay’s birthday, however I love the quote about joy & smiling. Especially as in many Zen Buddhist meditations, we focus on smiling with each outbreath – such a simple thing, however it can make a huge difference to our mood if we try this for even a few minutes.

So, in honour of Thich Nhat Hahn, I shall be smiling at every opportunity today and it has already had a massively uplifting effect – why not give it a go too and see how it makes you feel 😃

Rosanna x

01/10/2021

As we enter October, it feels like autumn is truly underway - after a windy week of changing weather – one minute rain, the next beautiful sunshine!

And yet summer is not quite done with us, as we still have plenty of green lushness surrounding us, with no signs as yet of the glorious golden leaves of autumn.To me, these next few weeks are a time to pay close attention to our natural landscape, as gradually and almost imperceptibly trees and plants begin to change. I can already see differences in the crab apples just outside my treatment room - with each passing day more slowly ripen, taking on a beautiful blush red tone.

So, let’s enjoy this sparkle of early autumn, and embrace the new crispness in the air as we begin to look forward to all the crunchy leaves and cosy jumpers to come…

Wishing you a lovely autumnal weekend.

Rosanna xo

29/09/2021

Discover why eating delicious blackberry treats is associated with Michaelmas and my absolute favourite ways to do this!

Since the 6th Century, September 29th marks the feast day of Saint Michael the Archangel. The legend goes that St Michael drove the devil out of Heaven and into a patch of blackberry bushes on this day. And since then, it has been traditional to have blackberry treats to celebrate 🥂

I for one, am just going to use it as a good excuse to celebrate the magnificent blackberry (the fruit, not the phone!)

There are many ways we could chose to do this, for example:

🍇 Go blackberry picking – I have so many fond memories of doing this as a child with my grandma and of taking my boys out to do it.

🍇 Do some blackberry baking – how about making a blackberry & apple pie or adding some to a scone or muffin mixture. If you fancy taking it up a level, I have recently found the perfect blackberry cake recipe – stuffed full of this juicy fruit and just the right amount of sweetness and gooiness. I’ve adapted it from a strawberry cake recipe, and it has gone down really well every time I’ve make it!! DM me if you’d like the recipe link.

🍇 Plant your own blackberry bush – there are plenty of thornless varieties now available if you prefer not to contend with all the prickles! And now is the perfect time to get one in the ground.

🍇 Or simply buy a punnet of blackberries or a pot of blackberry jam next time you’re shopping.

Wishing you a Happy Blackberry Day!

Rosanna xo