How do you relax from work, family duties, or study? I make art.
This month, I am recycling netting that is often used to wrap oranges, garlic, onions etc. into a new artwork.
Thank you to everyone who has kept their packaging so that I can experiment with them in the new piece. All colours are welcome, so give me a call if you have any to pass on. You can also email me here for an address if you are happy to post me some little nets.
As for the wonder foods mentioned above, October is the ideal time of year to ponder just what the harvest at home and abroad means to us.
‘Abundance’ is the word that springs to mind whether I am eating locally-grown items or enjoying oranges that were grown closer to the equator.
Choosing to eat mostly fresh, wholesome food naturally boosts to our ability to study, to work, and look after our children (or whoever else depends on us).
Oranges are a source of vitamin C, and they help us to keep that vitamin topped up.
Many people think that vitamin C can prevent colds and flu, but that’s not true. In studies of over 11,000 children and adults that belief was proven to be a myth [1]. The good news is that researchers found that regular doses of vitamin C shortened the amount of time that people were unwell. Plus, their cold symptoms were milder.
One thing is certain: we need a wide range of vitamins and minerals, and wholefoods are a good way to go about getting them.
One potent food that sometimes arrives to my kitchen in a net might be part of the reason why I always bounce back quickly after a cold: garlic. I love the robust flavour of organic garlic, and the tastiest kind seems to grow in Spain. As as we move towards the cooler, darker seasons I use garlic in cooking a lot. It is delicious, especially roasted with other veg in the oven. It’s packed with antioxidants too. Garlic is an anti-inflammatory and it supports the immune system as well as offering a vitamin boost.
The sniffles are rarely the end of the world. Maybe a flu will finish me off in the end, if I live to be an old woman. Or perhaps I’ll be unlucky and my immune system will be compromised at some stage and a cold could kill me. I don’t worry about these possibilities. Nobody knows how long they have in this life.
So far, being unwell for a few days in Autumn or Winter is just one of those things that happens to me and millions of others every year. It comes and goes. Some years a flu will arrive ‘late’ in December ( it has no manners at all, no respect for Winter solstice!) and whenever it lands I try to rest completely and give my body a chance to reset.
As for the lush blackberries growing wild in Ireland, not only are they bursting with flavour as I write this, they are a source of vitamins C, K, and fibre, so it’s time to munch and enjoy!
LOCAL NEWS
2022 is now fully-booked for wellbeing classes, English tuition, and everything else. If you would like join me in January for pregnancy yoga in Listowel or Tralee read more here. I’ll have yoga for beginners and the usual classes running too, and you are welcome to get your name in early and secure your place with a small deposit.
FREE EVENTS
I have been invited to teach chair yoga in West Limerick plus an art and yoga session for children. The events are being paid for by an organisation and being offered to the public free of charge. Keep an eye on this page for news in November.
Till next time,
-Kathryn.
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Reference
[1] ‘Common colds: Does vitamin C keep you healthy?‘ (2020) Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), Bookshelf ID: NBK279544.
Kathryn Crowley 