The attitudes of mindfulness are the ways in which we approach mindfulness to embody the essence of the practice. They are very much practices in & of themselves & are interlinked. Often when we start to really embody the essence of non-judgment for example, we’ll find the spirit of acceptance & forgiveness is easier to cultivate.

So let’s investigate these attitudes in a little more detail:

Non-judgment – we are essentially quite a judge-y species. The first step in not judging, as in changing any behaviour, is to become aware of it, the second step is to not judge the judging – simply notice it. Overtime you will become aware of the judgment subsiding. It’s all about not being quite so critical of ourselves or others.

Kindful acceptance, forgiveness & compassion – if we are kinder, more accepting, forgiving & compassionate to ourselves we are generally kinder, more accepting, forgiving & compassionate to others. Acceptance, forgiveness, kindness & compassion are all choices we make. They are not a giving up or giving in energy but simply a conscious choice to let go, surrender & release the stories we are telling ourselves. They are attitudes which help us to cultivate a sense of patience & trust in ourselves, others & in the process itself.

Playful curiosity – this is sometimes a tough one for us adults, we sometimes take ourselves & life a little too seriously. Again this about a choice: choosing joy, fun & happiness & noticing how this really shifts our energy. It is about not criticising our thoughts, feelings or emotions but bringing an essence of playful curiosity to whatever we are experiencing: a sense of oooh that’s interesting or I wonder what that’s all about. Playful curiosity is closely linked to the idea of a beginner’s mind, bringing a sense of childlike wonder, the sense of what was it like the first time we experienced something.

Non-striving – this is something else we often struggle with because we have been conditioned to pursue goals, push for achievements & accomplishments. The funny thing with non-striving is actually once we take the pressure off & start to enjoy the process instead of the outcome, we actually start to ‘achieve’ more! Something that is also worth noticing when we start to cultivate an attitude of non-striving: an ability to slow down & actually take some time to reflect upon, acknowledge & appreciate our achievements. Sadly, we are often so programed to achieve & strive that we rarely take time to appreciate what we have actually achieved before we are onto the next thing.

Gratitude – cultivating a sense of appreciation & gratitude for our lives, experiences, thoughts, feelings literally helps to rewire our brains. I have practiced gratitude almost daily for the past 8 years & I credit it, together with a daily meditation & yoga practice, with changing the way I think about & relate to myself & others.

Heartfulness – in Asian cultures the word for heart & mind are often interchangeable so we can think of the essence of mindfulness as heartfulness.

In the end, as we start to embrace one or two of these mindful attitudes, we begin to see how closely related & interlinked they are & it becomes easier to embrace other attitudes. But just like mindfulness, yoga & meditation, these attitudes are all practices, the more we practice, the more they influence our lives for the better.

This week’s meditation is a mindfulness of breath meditation & to obtain your copy, just simply email Alex to the email address below quoting Frost mindfulness attitudes. Next time we will be exploring why & how we can use the breath & the body to anchor ourselves into the present moment & cultivate a more mindful approach to living & being.

Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for the last 8 years, not just in the UK but also around the world. Her mission is to help everyone discover a sense of peace & calm within & to encourage them to embrace regular self-care practices.

If you would like more information on how to practice mindfulness, meditation & yoga message her at alex@myananda.co.uk.

For free resources check out her Facebook group: Mindfulness & Yoga for Self-Care, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MindfulnessYoga4Relationships

Alternatively please check out her website: www.myananda.co.uk

After nearly a year of lockdown, perfume has probably slipped down the priority list – I mean, who’s going to notice from 2 metres away?

But now things are changing – the vaccination programme’s steaming ahead and we have a Roadmap back to social contact, and dare I say, hugs. So maybe it’s time to start dusting off those forgotten bottles from the back of the bathroom cabinet?

Or how about treating yourself? Cheer the spirit with a fresh new fragrance. And Mother’s Day is on 14^th March too, so don’t forget Mum.

But what to buy? After a year of smelling of hand sanitiser we may need some help.

I found the Fragrance Wheel and Fragrance Strength Guide on the Perfume Direct Website really useful. The Fragrance Wheel explains all those perfume categories – Floral, Woody, Oriental etc – just choose the scent you like then search Perfume Direct by that category. The Strength Guide tells us how long each perfume will last – from eight hours for an Eau de Parfum to two hours for a lighter Eau Fraiche.

Perfume Direct are a UK company who have built an extensive network of suppliers to source the best price for their customers. They’re real experts and Perfume Direct’s Jonny Webber has shared some useful top tips with Frost Magazine. Did you know that:

Spring and summer scents tend to be fruity, lighter and ‘less volatile’ meaning they last longer and are less overwhelming.

Perfumers use the volatility of the molecules to control the nature and evolution of the scent. Different perfume notes are combined to hit the air at different times, hence the top notes, middle and base notes used in perfume descriptions.

Lighter weight molecules, such as citrus, pepper, herbs and fruity notes come out first, while heavier notes such as amber, woody and musk, linger on skin longer.

In warm weather, perfumes will evaporate quicker. So, citrus, crisp green and floral scents are perfect. White flowers in particular – jasmine, tuberose, frangipani – are known to “bloom” in hot weather.

Perfumes associated with winter tend to be heavier and can be overwhelming if they evaporate quickly in the summer heat.

One of their perfumes which caught my eye was Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb  EDP Spray – tea, fresh lime, jasmine, rose, freesia and Cattleya orchid on a lingering base of musk and patchouli. Or put another way, it smells just great – think tropical nights, al fresco dining for two, I loved it.

So for Mother’s Day, a personal end of lockdown treat, or the man in your life (they have a great range of After Shaves too) I recommend Perfume Direct.

By Dr K Thompson, award winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

Delcario, (their artisan products already tried and tested by some of the Frost Team who are still raving about them) , have created tailored gifts of fine artisan food and wine in gift boxes and hampers – available online for home delivery as the perfect gourmet surprise for mothers to enjoy.

Once a year Mother’s Day is the ideal opportunity to let your mum know she is loved, appreciated and treasured. I say this from the heart, as mother of 4!  Given the stay-at-home Mother’s Day approaching,  it’s surely a great idea to send a gift box or hamper of indulgent artisan treats. Treats created from natural and often organic ingredients by family and small-scale producers across Europe.

Priced at £46, Delicario Mother’s Day Sweet Wishes Gift Box is a sweet sensation of Italian lavender biscuits, Piedmont hazelnuts covered in milk chocolate, a fragrant apricot tart from artisan bakery Olivieri 1882, the zestiest of orange marmalades from southern Italy (glorious, having tested it)  and a beautiful tin of bold English Breakfast tea. Each item is carefully packed in tissue paper, wood wool and presented in an embossed gift box with ribbon.

The Delicario We Love Mum Hamper sells at £53 and is a quality small wicker hamper that brings the much missed travel experience home with an artisan journey through flavours of Sicilian green olive paté, (Sicily -think Salvo Montalbano. I haven’t been, I must)  mature sheep cheese with sprigs of thyme, the world’s best toasted hazelnuts from Piedmont and aromatic prosciutto, accompanied by a crisp white Sauvignon from the Rioja region.

All sounds wonderful. Would it be wrong to send a hamper to myself?

https://www.delicario.com/hampers-gifts/p/delicario-sweet-wishes-gift-box

https://www.delicario.com/hampers-gifts/p/delicario-we-love-mum-hamper

Frost Magazine loves that even in tricky times Delicario stand out for their ability to source authentic flavours from the best artisan producers: Spanish and Italian antipasti of artisan cheese, cured ham, pâté, specialty olives and grilled vegetables preserved in extra virgin olive oil. From porcini mushroom cream to select Wagyu and Chianina beef cuts, authentic artisan pasta, sauces and hand-made chocolate and baked treats, to family vineyard fine wine and champagne, dedicated artisan elaboration is at the heart of every delicacy.

Items are sold individually as well as in artisan meal boxes, gift boxes and hampers and there are vegan and gluten-free options available. (I sent a gluten free hamper to a pal and she was thrilled)

Remember also, that one of the gang at Delicario will always help to personalise the hamper. If you know someone doesn’t like a particular product in a box or hamper – no problems, just tell them and they’ll come up with substitutes.

The presentation of each embossed gift box and wicker hamper is luxurious with artistic labelling and packaging of every item, tissue paper, wood wool, sustainable chill pouches for fresh foods and personalised greetings cards for the perfect finishing touch. Twenty-four-hour delivery is available as well as the opportunity to schedule in advance for occasions such as Mother’s Day.

Founder Marco Rosa remarked, “This year in particular, when families have been kept apart and travel has been restricted, mum will cherish a thoughtful gift of exquisite artisan flavours from across Europe.”

 Delicario is based at Birch Barn in Kent, Delicario (www.delicario.com) was established by co-founders Marco Rosa, Alexander Scasny and Andrew Dack as an innovative online ‘international farmers market’, selling individual items, gifts and hampers of artisanal delicacies sourced from hand-picked regional producers all over Europe. Avoiding mass production, Delicario believes in the unique spirit of natural ingredients, harvested and processed with love by small family businesses, always with sustainability in mind. Each product has been thoughtfully selected to inspire celebration and harmony in flavours around the dining table.

France 1944 and the streets are filled with swastikas. The story of a brave English girl behind enemy lines, a German soldier, and a terrible sacrifice…

When young English nurse Sibyl Lake is recruited as a spy to support the French resistance, she does not realise the ultimate price she could end up paying. She arrives in Colmar, a French town surrounded by vineyards and swarming with German soldiers, but her fear is dampened by the joy of being reunited with her French childhood sweetheart Jacques.

Sibyl’s arrival has not gone unnoticed by Commander Wolfgang von Haagan and she realises that letting him get closer is her best chance of learning enemy secrets. Yet despite her best intentions, Sibyl soon finds that betrayal does not come easily to her.

When Jacques finds that Sibyl is involved with the enemy, he is determined to prove himself to her with one last act of heroism. An act that will put all of their lives into terrible danger…

It is no secret that I am an avid reader of Historical Fiction, I have read many books set in the UK or from the point of view of allied soldiers. The Soldier’s Girl is new to me in the sense that it is told from the view of a SOE agent who is operating in occupied France. An area that is crawling with an enemy  she is forced to befriend to acquire crucial information by any means necessary.

Naturally, I thoroughly enjoyed The Soldier’s Girl, I found it to be very thought provoking and emotional. I could not help but stop and think ‘What would I do in Sybil’s situation?’ Not only is it a novel to devour but it is also an intelligent insight into the mind of a German Soldier, a man who appreciates literature, music, one who plans for his life after the war, who was just doing what he was ordered.

This has been my first Sharon Maas book but will by no means be my last, her writing is beautifully descriptive, enticing and will with out a doubt leave you wanting more.

I would highly recommend to fans of The Nightingale, The Lost Girls of Paris and The Letter.

Published by Bookouture and available in paperback, audio and ebook

Furloughed from their day job, Bristol-based mortgage advisers Stacey Campbell and Tracy Firks decided to use their time to create the ultimate ‘side hustle’. A chance comment over the office tea making duties set them on to the journey of becoming published authors. And not just any old published authors; creators of a trilogy of erotic romance novels, the first of which ‘The Director’ is available on pre-order from 14th February with a launch date of 31st March.

The Director is the first book in The Storm Trilogy series and is the story of single mum Chloe Taylor, who undertakes an emotional journey to reconnect herself and find her confidence. Old friends and past loves resurface in Chloe’s life and take her on a journey that leads to some wild nights and exciting adventures.

Stacey was inspired by a recently single friend,

“Having had many conversations with a good friend of mine about her divorce experience and recent return to the dating scene, I was telling Tracy about her comical and hilarious dates in the kitchen one day. Over the coming weeks and months of telling Tracy about each encounter, I made the statement ‘I could write a book about this’, to which Tracy encouraged me. I tried to convince Tracy to join me in writing the book on many occasions until she finally caved in and agreed.

After reading how Tracy wrote the example sex scene, we had much discussion about our writing style. We both write, with Tracy editing my writings into our writing style. We discuss every step of each chapter before it’s written.

When restrictions allow, you will find us spending our afternoons after work sitting in a local tea shop discussing the storyline, sex scenes and browsing sex toy websites as we wait for our cucumber sandwiches and multiple cakes to arrive. Everyone loves a bit of afternoon tiffin… cake.”

Tracy knows the series will be an entertaining read for many,

“If you are a reader of romance, erotic romance, funny filth, and love books and films like Bridget Jones, Sex and the City and Fifty Shades, then this is the book series for you. Follow Chloe on her journey of self-discovery after two men from her past pop back into her life, one of which was her first love. With hilarious steamy encounters of lust, nights in with raucous laughter and home truths with work colleagues and friends, Chloe needs to make a decision – what will she choose? Love or Lust? With steamy, emotional, and funny moments, it’s a trilogy not to be left on the shelf!

A romp, good fun, an antidote to Lockdown. This series must have been fun to write, and is certainly fun to read. Go for it.

The Director is available on Pre-Order: here

Facebook: The Storm Trilogy

Instagram: @the_storm_trilogy

Twitter: @TrilogyStorm

GET FIVE BESTSELLING BOOKS IN ONE BARGAIN BOX SET TODAY!
Nikki Galena Books by Joy Ellis 1 – 5 for only 99p/99c (90% off for a limited time.) With a new Galena coming very soon. Sounds like a winner of a deal with 5 stars reviews all round.

The Lost Brother. 99p/99c Susanna Beard

Ricky and Leonora are siblings, best friends, and allies in a loveless family. Disaster strikes when their father is murdered collecting Ricky from boarding school. Ricky is missing… Leonora puts her own life in danger to find her brother.  Very tense, page turning…

An Oxford Inheritance  Maxine Barry   £1.99 /$2.99

One of my favourites. Discover what happens to Harriet when she inherits a fortune in her long-lost aunt’s will and comes head to head with the Powell family.  Despite herself, Harriet can’t help but find herself drawn to the devastatingly good looking Giles Powell.

Oh ho.. Harriet, is it a happy ending, or not? Read it and see.

The Murder List  Roger Silverwood £1.99/$2.99

Women are living in fear that they’re next on the murder list… Bodies of women in their 60s keep turning up. Always the same disturbing pose. Oh crikey… hang onto your hats.

Crime in the College Catherine Maloney £1.99/$2.99

  (Fabulous jacket)  A trip down memory lane takes an unexpected turn as Detective Markham visits his alma mater at the University of Oxford – a builder discovers a body beneath a dilapidated staircase. Worse, it appears the woman is no stranger to Markham. Well paced, evocative and page turning… What more do you want. Ah, to know ‘who done it’… Read on. Enjoy.

And now –  a trip behind the scenes of Joffe to meet LAURA COULMAN – PROJECT EDITOR

WHAT I DO: I am addicted to reading and have always been that person with “her head stuck in a book”. Nowadays, I’m delighted to say it’s an important part of my working day. I love working closely with our authors and editors, and immersing myself in their wonderful manuscripts, helping each one to fulfil its potential before sending it out into the world. Which is always the proudest moment!

WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2021: I have so many hopes for this new year. Not least that our creative team will soon be able to regroup in the office (many a doughnut will be eaten). I’m also excited to think of all the talented new voices that we’re hoping to connect with and properly, deservedly spotlight in 2021.

FAVOURITE BOOKS: Oscar Wilde will always hold a special place on my shelf. I’ll never forget the first time I read The Picture of Dorian Gray. Everything about it — Wilde’s stunning language and the twisted fairytale at the heart of it — hooked me helplessly in and I couldn’t put it down. I also love The Great Gatsby, for its poignant emotional punch. I can also wholeheartedly recommend *anything* of Kate Atkinson’s. Not least the Jackson Brodie mysteries. I think she has the most incredible gift for storytelling.

Lots more on offer at Joffe Books.

Natalie Jayne Peeke continues her conversation with best selling author, Lysa Walder – A Paramedic’s Story. A book that moved, informed, and which she found unputdownable.

What was the most difficult story to share, Lysa?

No one story was the most difficult, but in general the situations where I could overlay the image of someone I loved on to the patient I was attending or their relatives (because they were the same age or had similar characteristics) always had the capacity to invoke a visceral response in me. So if the child affected was the same age as one of my own or the older man was the same age as my father I may have had an internal battle with my instinct, as a mother or daughter, to become emotionally involved. Hopefully I always maintained a professional demeanour despite any inner turmoil I may have been experiencing.

What advice would you give to anyone who is training to be a paramedic?

I think people don’t always appreciate the mental and physical toll being a paramedic can take. There is a fair bit of heavy lifting of both patients and equipment which can result in many injuries especially to the back and joints. The around the clock shift pattern can have a detrimental impact on health and family life. I missed out on so much; kid’s birthdays and other milestones in particular. Seeing extremely sad or horrific sights so regularly can contribute to anxiety, depression and PTSD.

On your hardest days, what kept you going ?

Our shifts are nearly always twelve hours long and clock watching is an occupational hazard. Sometimes the only thing that kept me going was thinking about the end of the shift when I would get back home to the family or my next day off. Occasionally we cross paths with our colleagues and have a chance for a laugh or informal debrief. A nice treat such as listening to music in the vehicle or a coffee & slice of cake can be good pick-me-ups to break up the day too.

What books or authors do you enjoy reading?

For a bit of escapism I enjoy reading novels in my free time (when it’s not nice enough weather to be outside) and I particularly enjoy Andrea Camillieri & Donna Leon, who write about their detectives Montalbano in Sicily & Brunetti in Venice respectively. Elena Ferrante’s novels that describe the bonds of female friendship and growing up in the tough streets of Napoli is a powerful read. Bill Bryson is about the only non-fiction writing that I enjoy, he manages to pack so much in and the mix of information and humour is just right for me.

What do you like to do in your spare time ?

I now live in Italy with my husband in an old farmhouse in the mountains north of Lucca with Mr Darcy the dog, Mr Grey and Toulouse the cats, Miss Havisham and Little Cosette the chickens. During free time we are kept occupied with maintaining the many terraces and the woodland around the house which keeps us extremely busy and reasonably fit. The great thing about living here is that so much of our socialising and general life is lived outside. I love nothing more than a nice long therapeutic walk in the surrounding forests and mountains with friends and dogs, it’s a fabulous way to really relax. I’m still learning Italian and writing in my free time to keep my mind active too. The only problem with living in Italy is being so far away from family and dear friends, though it never felt far away when we could still go to the UK and they came to visit us here frequently. Who could have known that the pandemic was looming and the devastating restrictions it would place on our travel.

If you could invite any 3 people, real or fictional , to a dinner party who would you invite and what would you serve ?

If I could invite three people to dinner as well as my friends and family I’d invite Dolly Parton, Michelle Obama and Graham Norton and serve up an enormous lasagna with lashings of wine. After dinner, which we would eat outside on the terrace, we’d have a good old sing a long with those that can, playing guitars. We have no near neighbours so this could be loud and continue well in to the early hours.

Fighting for you Life by Lysa Walder is available here