Go placidly amid the noise and the haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself to others you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your career however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself, especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take Kindly the council of the years gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture the strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars: you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be; and whatever your labour and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
The mussel Mytilus edulis is a bi-valve filter feader in the Phylum:Mollusca. It is a marine creature which latches itself to rocks or other substrates within the sea in order to feed, grow and reproduce. Now we are just passing the middle of mussel season which runs from September to around April. In April they begin to spawn (release eggs) at this time they are not so good to eat as all their nutrients have been used for reproduction. By law all bivalves have to be washed in filtration tanks under a UV light to kill off any nasty bacteria/ virus’. They are cultivated all around the UK on socks/ropes or on the seabeds. I’ve been told that bed grown mussels tend to be better as they have to deal with being out of water when the tide goes out; this strengthens them. This makes they’re more plump and tasty. In contrast, rope grown mussels tend to be less flavoursome, due to the fact they have not had to adapt to being out in the air at low tide so often!
Mussels are a rich source of dietary DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) . This is an omega-3 fatty acid, very important for the heart, brain and eye health. Mussels are super nutrient dense with good levels of:
Zinc: Is an essential trace mineral, important for immune system function. It is also a potent antioxidant, neutralising free radicals that may contribute to heart disease. Research has shown that it may be very important for the release of calcium stores which move into heart cells. Correct control of these calcium gates (type-2 ryanodine receptors (RyR2) is necessary to prevent heart failure or irregular heart beats. Patients with congestive heart failure have been shown to have zinc deficiency. Zinc is involved in more enzymatic reactions in the body than any other mineral.
Selenium: Important antioxidant to protect DNA from damage. It fights cancer and protects against carcinogens by helping to produce a free radical scavenger called glutathione peroxidase.
Iron : This heme iron in the body is essential for the blood to carry oxygen. Women require nearly twice as much as men per day, until menopause. Sea food is a good source for this
Copper: Important for the myelin sheath which protects our nerves from electromagnetic fields. Alternation magnetic fields deplete this element.
B12: Vitamin B-12 is especially important for vegetarians who may be deficient in this vitamin. Important for red cell production. Important for maintaining the nervous system and mood regulation. B12 keeps homocysteine (a natural substance in the blood) levels in check; if this gets too high it can cause heart disease.
Iodine: Iodine is a trace element important to support the thyroid. An iodine deficiency can cause a slower heart rate. Having adequate amounts of iodine also lowers your risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
If you have any kind of heart condition sea food needs to be high on your list for nutritional priorities. There are more mitochondria in the heart and brain than in other areas of the body. These energy factories for your cells require DHA for their membranes (minos layer) as do your cells. The healthier the membrane the better the cell can function. The retinal pathway (in the eye) is where sunlight enters your body and tells the SCN (Suprachiasmatic Nucleus) in the Hypothalamus to control your circadian rhythm. Basically giving the correct day night cycles to run on. This body clock (SCN) must run faster than all the others. This intern sets the other body clocks and that of your mitochondria. So your body is synchronised, autonomously working in harmony, all its parts. The retinal pathway requires DHA to function correctly; many hormones need to be made in the eyes in the morning via sunlight. DHA makes the cells better able to conduct DC electricity (electrons better). If you live in the northern hemisphere, sea food with this fat, is even more important. It helps your cells to run more efficiently in a cold low light environment. If you live at the equator where you have all round sun less DHA is required. You need less of it, as you have the sun to provide your body with a plentiful supply of electrons to help with energy production. DHA increases your redox potential (helps your body hang on to electrons) giving you a greater negative charge. Increasing your magnetic field. This means that your body will be able to regenerate itself better within our world of artificial EMFs which lowers our electrons, causing more sickness (inflammation). Artificial blue light at the wrong time of day, like in the evening after the sun has gone down, can inhibit melatonin production for sleep. This causes oxidative stress (more loss of electrons).
Attaining all your essential nutrients from food is the best way to get them and not in supplement form, as this is not natural to the body. Although sometimes, as with myself it has been necessary. Ultimately, we need to get in natural sunlight more and totally reduce our exposure to non-native EMFs.
Fresh closed mussels about to be cleaned and washed
If you fancy trying mussels, I would recommend going out to a good sea food restaurant first to see if you like them. If you do like them and you’re keen to have a go at cooking them yourself? Then please read on:
We tend to cook them, my wife and I about once or twice a month at this time of year! We cook them the French way with dry white wine, cream, butter, shallots and parsley. Magnifique! Some people have them with fries ‘moules et frites’. However, being heart healthy I try to limit the fried foods. So we have steamed potatoes with them or just a little sourdough bread. Added to this, maybe a little white wine too! Well, if you want to get started to cook them yourself, you will first need to find a good, reputable fish monger! By that, I do not mean going to your supermarket! No, you need to find someone local who specialises just in seafood, and is passionate about what they do and sell. After asking around you will get to know of a good place I am sure! I would suggest a kilo is enough for two people! Once you have your mussels you can keep them in the fridge for the day until in use, or if you must, for the next day but no longer! Best to cook them on the same day! I have made a video below if you are interested in following a quick French recipe ‘Moules Mariniere!’ What ever you do, I Hope you will enjoy them! God bless!
On the evening of Sunday the 9th December 2018, I reclined my armchair at home and tried to fall asleep. Then within 10 minutes I started to get a pain across my chest, which became stronger and stronger then going up to my jaw. I became cold an clammy. I immediately called my wife and asked here to phone the ambulance as the pain was so bad. The ambulance arrived within 4 minutes, they administered drugs and gas and took me to ER. Where upon in the operating theatre there was a consultant ready and waiting.
Whilst on the operating table I began to pray. As I did not know what was going to happen. The doctor said that the right side of the heart was blocked, and he had managed to unblock it. I was then taken up to the cardiology ward and administered more drugs to break down clots. I was then kept on a drip for two days. On the third day I was released with medication to go home. I am now at home recovering.
What I would like to say is: make sure you tell everyone you love them this Christmas. Make up with anyone if you have had a falling out. Don’t hold any grudges, or un-forgiveness against anyone. Ask God to forgive you of any sins. As non of us know the day nor the hour, when we shall depart from this world.
God bless and have a Happy Christmas. May the coming New Year 2019 bring you every good blessing
I first came across this South African species ‘The spider plant’ as a boy in the 1970’s smashing into it as I raced up and down the stairs. I was always surprised how they survived all the damage and why my mother had so many of them. She hung them over the stairway where there was little light too. Surprisingly, they have little to no pests. It is a plant that brings back many memories.
Description:
Family: Asparagaceae
Species shown: Chlorophytum comosum ‘Vittatum’
A perennial to 50-60cm in height, with fleshy tuberous roots. Leaves: Extremely long, strap shaped blades, no teeth or hairs. Inflorescence: On stem in clusters of 1-6, they are white, 6 petalled with 3 veins on each petal. Cross pollinated by insects to produce seed. Variegation of the leaves does make it more attractive visually. However, this has no benefit to the plant as there is no chlorophyll within the white zones to photosynthesise, this is due to a mutation. The variety shown has white areas of the leaf in the centre, the other common variety which is variegated has the white on the outside Chlorophytum comosum ‘Variagatum’. Propagation is mainly by ramets (identical clones) daughters from the mother plant. produced on the nodes (joints) of the runner (lateral over ground stems). This is a form of asexual propagation.
Ramets, spiderettes or baby platelets produced in summer.
These small new plantlets ‘spiderettes’, dangling all over the plant is where the name spider plant comes from; as the plant looks like it is covered with the creepy spiders. These small platelets fully formed with small roots can be cut off and potted up in John Innes 2 or similar growing medium. These runners are produced within the summer, if the plant is mature enough; has stored enough energy.
Benefits:
Apart from the lush green foliage, this plant was recognised by NASA over twenty years ago to be apt for the job of removing toxins from our dwellings. Especially, formaldehyde and xylene, which gas off from house hold furnishings, fixtures and fittings. It is basically a living hoover of toxins. We do need to bring more plants and animals back within our living and work quarters. Not surprisingly, it has been shown that when green plants were added to hospital wards people felt better!
Negative ions and their bearing on health: Negative ions in the air are biologically active and affect circadian rhythms (day/night body clock). They act on the parasympathetic nervous system (resting, relaxing part of the autonomic nervous system) relaxing the nerves. Whereas positive ions excite the sympathetic nerves (fight/flight autonomic nervous system). Manmade electromagnetic radiation creates positively charged ions. All pollutants are positively charged like diesel particulates, fungal pathogens (moulds), bacterial pathogens etc. These pollutants attract negative ions which then reduces the amount of negatively charged ions in the air. Plants actually produce negatively charged O2 (oxygen) and absorb the positively charged CO2 (carbon dioxide) and toxic gases. The fact that we have large air handling units, air conditioning units, coupled with electrical devices emitting EMF’s: computers, printers, SMART phones, TV’s, watches and swipe boards, creates more positive ions and perhaps ‘Sick Building Syndrome’. We need to balance things out with more plants!
The Amount of negative ions within different environments: Sea shore, by the sea 50,000 per cm3, countryside near trees 4000> per cm3, near cell phone masts 80-100 per cm3, offices 40-100 per cm3 and air-conditioned rooms 20 per cm3.
In fact, if there are less negative ions, put simply, we breath in less oxygen!
Negative ions have also been shown to influence your serotonin level (a neurotransmitter) keeping it in balance. This may have an influence on your mood and sleep patterns as serotonin is a precursor to melatonin production within the pineal gland.
A study carried out at Reading University in surrey Uk found that school children achieved higher grades in exams, when green foliage was placed within their study area.
The spider plant, not only looks aesthetically pleasing year round, removes chemical toxins including positive ions, gives back negatively charged oxygen and is easy to propagate!
The chances are you have an acquaintance / friend or family member whom may just have a spider plant! Ask them to do you a cutting in the summer!
Don’t over water, just keep moist in summer. During the winter keep indoors and reduce watering only giving a little when dry.
Temperature: Best grown out of cold draft in indirect sunlight between 18-30C
What I love about this species is that it is so simple to propagate and generally live with. Have a go at growing it and let me know how you get on? I would love to hear from you!
When I was younger we used have to repeat these words as part of the ‘Green Cross Code’in order to cross at the traffic lights or at the edge of the road!
With that in mind, imagine we are on a red light at the traffic lights now. So we have some time now, in your busy day?
So please read with me below:
“Father in heaven thank-you for my life today. Thank-you for the roof I have over my head, and for the food I have to eat. Thank-you for the people you have put in my life. Thank-you for the sun, the air we breathe and all the wonder of your mighty creation. Help me to love those around me, family, neighbour and stranger. Guide me Lord and put me on the right path. In Jesus name, Amen”
God bless you in your day today and in all that you do! Thank-you for taking time out with me. Well the lights on green again now and you can carry on your road of life today.
Heart of Life 