2026 - Mindful Living and Connection

debtfreewannabe321

Morning! I have conkers sat on my side that I want to turn into washing liquid...! I used to make my own laundry powder and that worked well but was a lot of work to make it and not cheap, or indeed free like conkers! I still use vinegar for conditioner when I run out of shop bought and after I'm done with the container I have I'm actually swapping to vinegar permanently as it's so cheap.

leftatthetrafficlights

@debtfreewannabe321 - I'm always concerned that the clothes might smell of vinegar!! 🙄🤦‍♀️ I don't know why because so many people use it but I have been reluctant - I'm definitely going to put that aside and try it this weekend 😉 I'm trying my conker stuff at the weekend too- there'll be plenty of laundry having the grandbabies! 😂😂😂

I'm very happy using ivy or conkers for laundry liquid - I have veganically grown ivy in my garden and conkers in a friends garden so free and environmentally friendly! Can't get much better than that! 😁

I've had a few days of doing very little - I've been meditating and practicing mindful breathing much of the time and I'm loving it - however, I do need to start getting my environment sorted too now. I can appreciate my space - I'm grateful to have a home; have shelter, running hot and cold water, electricity, heating, food, safety etc and I know that I am in a fortunate, small percentage of humanity that is in that position. Taking care of it reminds me of how fortunate I am and I appreciate the honour of having my beautiful home to look after.

The last 48 hours have left me feeling very centred and much more connected to the universe - it feels liberating! 😁

Hope you have a lovely mindful day! 🐌😁

Slowdown

How’s the alcohol and cigarette ban going? Have you managed to stick to it?
I turned 60 last month and haven’t always been kind to my body. And this morning have a bit of a headache from the wine I drank last night. A few too many.
I’m trying to cut down but it really isn’t as easy as it sounds. Hope you’re doing better than me

I also practice yoga and meditation in twice weekly classes but would like to practice more at home. Just always seem to be doing something else.
We have a large garden that I’m really trying to get to grips with and intend to plant the veg patch better next year. I’ll be following your planting progress. 🌱🌱

leftatthetrafficlights

@Slowdown - thanks for dropping in! 😁 I'm still off the alcohol and cigarettes - it's not plain sailing yet by any means but I'm getting there 😉 I certainly don't miss the hangovers! I am still very up and down with it and that, in itself, is challenging but I know that it will eventually become easier...

Getting our garden improved over the next six months is important to me - I want to be a self sufficient as possible within the constraints of everyone's wishes. I will definitely be growing a lot more wherever possible in future - I can do lots of successional sowing and then preserve lots. I have many more options coming my way soon so I'm going to be doing lots of research.

Today I'm going to get the house ready for my grandbabies - all three of them are going to be here so it's going to be scary by the end of the weekend! 😂 However, if I get it decent to start with, I may have more chance of it not being totally destroyed 🤞😂😂😂

I probably won't get on much this weekend so I hope you all have a fab, mindful one! 🐌😁

leftatthetrafficlights

Grandbabies are all back home now - I'm exhausted!! 🤪😂 Lots of fun had though, I do love having them here but I very much enjoy the peace when they're gone! 😂

So, I'm beginning my health and wellbeing programme tomorrow - today I am spending the rest of it in recovery and as much peace as possible (although that will be tricky over the next couple of hours due to the heating/hot water system springing a leak and it is currently in the process of being fixed - rather noisily! 🫣😂).

I need a few things from the shop - I've decided that I'm finished with salads (I've got enough fruit for one or two more) and I'm going to go onto things like beetroot and apple 'rice' and carrot and apple 'rice'. I will also do pears too and I will eat more seasonal - or previously preserved by me - food wherever possible. I am starting some rocket in the greenhouse and will continue with broccoli sprouts too - the more cruciferous veg in my diet, the better! 😁

I still have 2 large spaghetti squash, 2 large butternut squash, 2 small butternut squash, 1 crown prince squash and half an uchiki kuri squash that we have harvested to eat through; we have beetroot, celeriac, parsnips, cavolo nero, leeks, Jerusalem artichokes and green tomatoes growing still as well as a few beans still on the plants drying. There's more than enough there to feed us for a few weeks- if we add in the frozen veg too, I think I've comfortably got a months worth of food already in the house.

Fruit should be the only outlay really, dh has it for brekkie and I have frozen berries and seasonal fruit for smoothies and 'salads' but it should be under £20 a month if it's mainly local, in season, produce. I'm definitely going for a low spend month - hopefully, other than essentials, it will be a no spend month! 🤞

Have a fab slow day! 🐌😁

Brie

@leftatthetrafficlights

I saw this recipe on another post and thought of your lovely dinners….won't use up your garden fresh stuff but it certainly looks interesting. I like beans and I like risotto and I like mushrooms so I might even try to make it sometime especially as the OH keeps saying we need more meat free meals.

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leftatthetrafficlights

@Brie - that looks interesting 🤔😁

I've got a bit of a cold at the moment - the joys of grandbabies! - so I'm taking it easy today. I'm going to update my budgets, do the daily basics and spend the rest of the day just trying to get some snoozing in - I've been up since 1.40am so I'm wiped from that too 🫣 I was looking forward to having a day of mindfulness but I really need to get some sleep if I can so that's my priority today.

I'm making dinner from the garden - we've got some scarlett runner beans, beetroot, squash and cavolo nero so they will be the main part of the meal; I'm not sure what I'll do with it all but I'm already looking forward to it 😋

Anyway, have a fab mindful day 🐌😁

debtfreewannabe321

Did you make the conker detergent? You post reminded me that I had collected conkers and they were sat on the side waiting for me 🤣 so I got on with making it at the weekend. I did a couple of practice tests with it with dark clothes and all worked well and then chanced it with a white wash and it worked as well as our usual one 🍻!

I love that you're still making dinner from the garden! I wish my garden had anything worth eating still.

Wednesday2000

I did some meditation today and I kept falling asleep! I think it is from switching bedrooms over as I haven't got used to the "new" room yet. I think I will try and have an early night tonight.

Brie

I was toodling about the house (as you do) and stopped an looked at the poem that the OH had framed that is by the front door. We've had it a very long time and I'm sure he told me all about it when it first when up in our previous home (also by the front door…) but I couldn't remember.

And the difficulty of understanding it is that it is in French. I do know some French (being a good Canadian) but not enough for the nuances of poetry so I had to resort to google translate. And then some of it didn't quite make sense so I changed a few words to make more sense. And it struck me as being both MSE and mindful so I thought I'd share it here. I've included the original and the translation so if anyone is great at French and wants to correct me please let me know!!

Le bonheur de ce monde - Christophe Plantin

Avoir une maison commode, propre et belle,
Un jardin tapissé d'espaliers odorans,
Des fruits, d'excellent vin, peu de train, peu d'enfans,
Posseder seul sans bruit une femme fidèle,

N'avoir dettes, amour, ni procès, ni querelle,
Ni de partage à faire avecque ses parens,
Se contenter de peu, n'espérer rien des Grands,
Régler tous ses desseins sur un juste modèle,

Vivre avecque franchise et sans ambition,
S'adonner sans scrupule à la dévotion,
Dompter ses passions, les rendre obéissantes,

Conserver l'esprit libre, et le jugement fort,
Dire son chapelet en cultivant ses entes,
C'est attendre chez soi bien doucement la mort.

The happiness of this world

To have a comfortable, clean and beautiful house,
A garden carpeted with fragrant espaliers,
Fruit, excellent wine, little journeys, few children,
To possess alone without noise a faithful wife,

To have no debts, love, no lawsuits, no quarrels,
Nor to share with one's parents,
To be content with little, to hope nothing from the great,
To regulate all one's designs on a just model,

To live with frankness and without ambition,
To devote oneself without scruple to devotion,
To tame one's passions, to make them obedient,

To preserve a free mind and a strong judgment,
To say one's rosary while cultivating one's business,
Is to await death very gently at home.