Orange

Orange oil is a beautifully tangy and uplifting oil. It's good if you're feeling a bit down or lethargic. If you burn it in the house it is a good frageriser and deodorant. 

One thing to be careful of though is that you must avoid sunbathing after using orange. This is because it increases the effects of the sun and you are more likely to burn.

You will also find orange an effective fly repellant either in the house or when it comes round to barbecue time...I can't wait...the smell of coals and charring food!

Art

Relaxation. This post kind of overlaps my art blog, but it's more about making yourself feel good. You may think an art gallery isn't the place for you, but you'never know unless you give it a try. I go to themgallery and sit, soaking up the atmosphere and everytime I see the same pictures I spot something new. The stories behind the paintings may even be quite harrowing, but just feel the piece. I bet you'll want to go back more and more. There  are also some wonderful gallery apps that collect together paintings from national galleries and you can look whenever you feel like it. The other good thinhbis the apps are free- just search for art gallery,

Lavender

Lavender is an oil that anyone who is even vaguely interested in aromatherapy ought to have in their cupboard. It is one of the safest oils and one of the only ones recommended to be applied directly to the skin without being diluted (please carry out the test as described previously though).

Lavender has a lot of uses. It is antiseptic, so can be applied to closed wounds, especially cat scratches as it gets rid of that irritating stinging pain that follows a scratch. It is also beneficial to burns and reduces the pain and increases the healing time.

Mentally it can have two effects, depending on the dosage. A small amount will help you sleep while a large amount will keep you awake, so take care not to use too much if you want a good night's sleep. For sleeping a good way to use it is to put a little on a tissue and tuck it under your pillow.

It has a lovely flowery smell and is relatively inexpensive, so I would advise you to get some for your medicine cabinet, especially cat lovers who get that accidental scratch now and then. (I have six and always put some lavender or tea tree on a scratch). Even my father is a convert to these two oils.

Clary Sage

It's a while since I promised to write about some more oils. My apologies for that...

Clary Sage is a fantastic oil if you're feeling low. Its woody, tangy smell is very warm. It does take some getting used to but it's worthwhile. 

It will lift your mood and in high doses is lightly narcotic, so take care especially as overdoing it will probably give you a headache.

Again, like most oils it can be burned in a vaporizer or hot surface or you can take a warm bath with about 8 drops in. Your muscles will relax more than you could think. Again like any oil put a little on part of your body such as the inside of your elbow, just to make sure you don't have any negative reaction and keep it away from your eyes. Another word of warning if you are having an alcoholic drink take care because Clary Sage can enhance the effects of alcohol. I hope you get something out of this and hopefully I'll be back soon with more oils. Enjoy..

Glad it helped

Thank you for getting in touch and leaving such positive feedback. I hope the remedies work well for you and you find my future ramblings of interest...Tony

Happy Christmas

Well I hope you had a great Christmas and are looking forward to new year. If you find this time of year difficult for whatever reason then my thoughts are with you. Having suffered from depression for a number of years and many of the reasons based around the holidays I can relate to you. It is almost a time of enforced fun. Try to remember there will be good times coming uup. I know it sounds like an empty promise, but it is true. I've just stopped crying cos I'm overweight and my teeth are falling out and why didn't I do things differently? Well I didn't and I'm here. My dad said that I have lived fiur lives alreadyand I know where he's coming from. Even negatives can be learned from. Accept my best wishes and feel good that you are who you are because you are unique.

Weird

This blogging is a funny old game. It gives you a wonderful chance to talk about yourself and what is going on. You can rattle on about your favourite things or condemn the things that really bug you. If you've read any of my stuff you'll know I'm a bit of a traditionalist. This doesn't mean I'm a stick in the mud. I like to get drunk and put the world to rights or ride my off road bike into ditches. There is a point to this honestly. This is about making yourself feel good. Well taking part in social media or having a blog can make you feel better. We have all this technology at hand and we concentrate it on work. Have a bit of fun - share a joke on Twitter or put your amusing holiday videos on you tube. I know it's not the same as socializing and I'd rather be down the pub chatting to you about this but this is the best way cos. we all probably live a long way apart but that just gives us more to share! Go on post something start a discussion!