Nature is B-E-A-UTIFUL

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fotos by Chardonnay

August 2017

Meditation after yoga

Yoga goes hand in hand with meditation
I'm very new to this and already enjoy some of the benefits

 I think its fair to say that some meditation sessions go better than others

( sometimes my mind can be all over the place and thoughts jumping in to my head one  after another and all I can hear is a clash of voices in my head....and then another time I can listen to the instructor and feel very calm ) 

Today was one such day.....

The instructor was fab..as usual

The class went really well and at the end I was well ready for the reward which came in the form of a 10 minute session of beautiful calm stillness..

10 minutes dosnt sound long but when its spent being still and listening to your breath it can be very beneficial and very beautiful..

it gives us the opportunity to forget our worries and stresses ..even if only for a few minutes

it gives us the opportunity to completely relax

to take a mental picture of our bodies

to slow our breathing and extend our relaxation

And the more we practice it ..the better we become ...and if we practised it for a life time... there would still be more to know

          Our instructor always ends the session, reminding us to remember the moment, the feeling, the calm...

And to take it with us ..to recall it when our next stressful moment looms....and it will

it could be tomorrow..next week..next month

Remember the calm..... And return to it 

here we come

its done..its booked 
I have booked a week to the beautiful Island of Cyprus...
and I can not wait....

Cyprus is one of my favourite places...
and I consider myself very fortunate as I have visited this beautiful Island on no less than 5 times 💝

Its fair to say that The 1st time was about 12 years ago and we didnt do much sight seeing..
It was more about relaxing and sitting on the beach and poolside ( although we did have a couple of my children with us ..so not really relaxing🙈)

It had changed so much when we returned about 7 years later to Protaras...although still incredibly beautiful..more hotels had sprung up where there was open spaces etc

We hired a car and went to the mountains...which was in complete contrast to the coast..the blistering heat ( visited in august) was replaced by cool green shade...with a canopy of lush green trees...we stopped off at a cafe where we enjoyed fruit and locally produced wine, both of which were delicious.

Last year I visited with my frend and went on a boat trip to see the sea caves...( which I intend to do again..it was the best bargain I've ever had...3 hr trip including lunch for $20..fab ) amongst other excursions.

I hadnt been to paphos area before ...always convinced myself I preferred Protaras..( even tho I'd never been there!!! 😮) so last year I went with a little bit of aprehension....
Boy was I in for a surprise..it was beautiful...and so much so that I have booked Paphos again...😍
The coastline was breath taking..

The cypriot people are fab..so friendly..and warm...( just like the weather 😍 )
and the wine isnt too bad either..
what is there not to like.....
I just hope I havnt jinxed it by singing their praises....😑....

Count down on....😎😎

( still got the north of Cyprus to do 😄😉 )

when my grandaughter comes visiting!!!!

( NB please see footer at end of post )

 true to say that stress usually accompanies my grandaughters visits....

this involves torture.... anything from... fixing my hair....crawling all over my lap and ruining my knees....checking my eyes for foreign bodies...

pinching my neck... ( she has a fixation with necks or any other loose skin..elbows etc associated with us 50 somethings...and different to her beautiful plump youthful skin ( shes !!  4 ) )

But this was on a whole new level.....

today she introduced me too her new found frend!!!

' stroke him under his neck Granma ' ( the neck thing ) not a chance!!

 all fotos by chardonnay 2017

Please be assured that No Granmas or newts were harmed during this photo shoot....granma was returned to her rocking chair with a large glass of the red stuff.... and newty was returned to his normal wet environment too....no harm done 😉😉

Portugal

A little bit about my 7 day break in Portugal...

 fotos by chardonnay 2017

Four of us ladies on a 7 day break in sunny Portugal ( which was very hot..about 30 degrees most days ) 

we were very fortunate and stayed in a beautiful villa belonging to someone we knew...to say it was amazing was an understatement.... beautifully and exquisitely furnished....with everything one could possibly need...in an amazing location...( yes you are waiting for the BUT? )

BUT....

and this is not a critisism 

it was too quiet for me personally

I like people watching..and I also like to be amongst the locals...local cafes...etc

( this was more for very wealthy british retirees )

We did go into Lagos one day  which I really enoyed...

beautiful cobbled narrow sreets...quaint cafes...a lovly marina..lots of locals mulling about... a few market stalls...lovly..
(unfortunately I did not take many fotos as I thought I would be returning to Lagos....sadly I did not)  I think the moral of this is always take the fotos when the opportunity arises..
( dont put off til tomorrow what you can do today !! )

 foto by chardonnay 2017

some of the beautiful flowering cacti

its fair to say I feel very priviliged to have the opportunity to see this beautiful country

Thank the Lord 

Holy Week

wishing you all the most Holy beautiful and Blessed Week

full of Gods blessings...

    

What a wonderful world we live in

Perito Moreno Glacier National Park

The Perito Moreno Glacier (Spanish: Glaciar Perito Moreno) is a glacier located in the Los Glaciares National Park in southwest Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentinian Patagonia.

The 250 km² (97 sq mi) ice formation, and 30 km (19 mi) in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile. This ice field is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water.

The Perito Moreno glacier, located 78 kilometres (48 mi) from El Calafate, was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century and played a major role in defending the territory of Argentina in the conflict surrounding the international border dispute with Chile.  ( wikipedia )

Another beautiful picture that popped.....
words escape me...as they say a picture paints a thousand words
(I never would have believed this was in Argentina)
definitely needs to go on my bucket list of places to visit 

😍

( apologies if any of the information is not up to date and accurate )

gotta love a bargain

and there's more sale items...
and some very nice bits in #marks and spencers today

so I managed to misplace my very nice jacket!!! ( no really I'm being serious )
Dont worry if it would of been one of my old ones somebody would have returned it....
but alas I dont think its coming back, its been a couple of weeks now   
worrying thing is I dont even know where Ive left it .....

so I have no choice I will have to buy one..
lucky for me the sales are on
#marks and spencers have got a shed load of lovly coats/jackets all sizes/styles/colours

so i plum for a knee length navy blue cashmere blend ...very smart if I do say so
( and almost half price...too good to miss...timeless piece )

See if I can hang on to this one!!!!

I just found miscellar water

I was introduced to Micellar water  ( which until today was convinced it was Miscellar !!!! )  
by a lovly lady in Superdrug.... 
The one I am currently using is #Nivea 3 in 1 sensitive Micellar water  as shown
I wish i had found this product 30 years ago..
Been using it for about 6 months
I am 54....very oily skin... nightmare when it came to wearing makeup.
it is easy to use ..just dampen a cotton wool pad with the product and wipe gently to remove makeup
I always repeat to remove any remaining oil or make up
Since I started using Micellar water my skin is less geasy and also my skin is left feeling refreshed but not tight.perfect make up base.... I love it. 
I can not comment on other brands as i havnt used any other but hopefully I will try others and post my results ....
I thought i would have a look at what the professionals say...and this was just one...which I thought explained Micellar water beautifully:

info sourced from #The Independent :

Sometimes keeping up with a complex skincare routine can be too much. From exfoliating to cleansing to toning to moisturising, it’s hard to keep up with what you’re supposed to be doing when. A micellar cleanser cuts out some of those steps, acting as a make-up remover, cleanser and toner in one swipe. Micellar waters are a non-rinsing formula, so you just need to apply to the face with a cotton pad, as you would a toner, making them perfect for those days when you don’t have time for a hot cloth cleanseThe trend started in France, where they offer an alternative to harsh mains water, and have been available in pharmacies there for years, but have only recently been picked up by the cult beauty world. Their tiny oil molecules, ‘micelles’ (hence the name), are designed to work like a magnet, attracting impurities and pulling them away without agitating or drying. The micelles are often suspended in thermal spa waters, which come direct from natural springs and are naturally mineral-enriched. They’re ideal for sensitive skin and are often used by make-up artists backstage for minimal skin irritation after multiple make-up changes.

Waking up in beautiful cyprus

The island with a reputed 300 days of sunshine per year 😎

Now don't misunderstand me....I'm not being ungrateful but when I drew back the curtains this morning on the first day in Cyprus....what presented itself was RAIN !!   Yes u haven't misread it Rain.... 🌦☔

Now my hubby already thinks its a bad idea coming to Cyprus in December....  and this is NOT helping!!!!

So lets do this   

We enjoyed an adequate breakfast in the restaurant of The Amphora Hotel... which was sorrounded by floor to ceiling glass windows... which as you can imagine gave a fab view pretty much from every angle

The hotel is set in the most amazing position....on the beach with the gardens leading to the beautiful  rocky coast line looking down to the beautiful clear waters that is Cyprus....even with the rain this is the most beautiful sight...
The hotel is clean and modern..
the rooms have modern bathroom ...kettle restocked daily with coffee teas etc....
 not fussy..and not many frills
but hey, who needs frills when you have Cyprus
we were lucky and had a large balcony again sorrounded on 3 sides by a glass exterior which had amazing views across the rocky coastline and far across the med...
aafter breakfast we decided to go for a walk... yes brolly and all

We headed toward Pafos harbour... ( from hotel to start of harbour was about a mile ) admiring the beautiful hotels along the way and continued round the coast line past the castle and toward the lighthouse....


The beautifully clean bars and cafes along the way looked inviting and afer several requests by cheerful staff we gladly accepted and stopped for refreshments

Even with the rain there was still a few joggers and other walkers about...the rain started to clear about an hour or so into our walk the sun had soon got her hat on .....

     now thats what im talking about....

 

The beauty of this island...day 2

2nd day and the sun has got her hat on...

 Breathtaking ...no other words for the beautiful coastline of Cyprus




So we decided to walk in to pafos across the coastline...
 A good stretch of the legs 
( my muscles are still aching from.  yesterdays walk... )
( About 20-25 mins along get the beach or an hr if u keep stopping to admire the beautiful sights !!  About 15 minutes walk if you take the road route....perfectly safe...even in the evening )






But worth every minute, soaking up the sights whilst the warm winter sun glistens across the  crystal clear waters gently bathing  the rocks in white foam as the tide comes in.



And there's more...there is always more beauty to behold on this beautiful island at every turn.....

Not yet lunch time but already an odd few fisherman patiently playing the waiting game...lines poised across the craggy rocks....baskets sat alongside.

I truly believe i could just keep walking and walking and never tire of seeing the breathtaking beauty which is Cyprus......The Lord did well when he made this beautiful Island

Yes I think its fair to say I'm in love.....

https://www.paphos.com/v/attractions/