MY NEW BOOK - COMPLIMENTARY & ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES FOR PAIN...

I am pleased to say that my latest book 'Complimentary & Alternative Therapies for Pain', Your guide to over 50 treatments for Pain Relief, has been published and is now available on Amazon in book format or on Kindle.

Reviews would be greatly appreciated. 

THE BRITISH OBSESSION WITH CHOCOLATE...

According to the BBC for most of us, chocolate is a guilty pleasure, and the British are particularly fond of it.

Research shows that, on average, Britons enjoy about 11kg (24lb) of chocolate a year, making the UK one of the biggest consumers of chocolate in the world. Apparently only the Swiss and Germans eat more!!

However, it's not a modern craze, in fact, chocoholism may date back to the 18^th Century and beyond. Cacao beans, which are the basic component of chocolate, were roasted, ground and drunk with water by the Mayans from around 2,000 years ago.

The chocolate beverage was first recorded as being for sale in Oxford, England in 1660.

Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753) who was the physician to Queen Anne of England, was reportedly the first person to mix chocolate successfully with milk. The drink was then used for restorative purposes. 

ENGLAND V SCOTLAND THE BIG DEBATE...

According to the International Business Times    back on May 1^st, 2014 both the British and Scottish flags were flying outside the Lloyds Banking Group's Scottish headquarters in Edinburgh.

I was just wondering if this is still the same today.

I guess I also need to wonder is if by Friday I need to change the name of this blog? ….

All we can do is wait and see.  

THE GREAT BRITISH GARDEN REVIVAL...

 If you haven't been following the 'Great British Garden Revival' which is a selection of top television gardeners who want to inspire the nation to save Britain's rich gardening heritage.

Its on BBC 2 at 7 pm on Monday and the final episode is on Tuesday 14th January.

On Monday's episode Toby Buckland meets a conservationist who works to save species of fruit trees that are close to extinction, while Christine Walken looks at the Victorian era and their love of ornamental bedding plants.

On the final episode on Tuesday Chris Beardshaw champions the herbaceous border, while Alys Fowler celebrates the merits of the kitchen garden and tries a range of unusual edible plants.

If you have missed this great 'British' garden series and cannot watch it on catch up then don't panic as you can look through lots of pictures and clips by just going to the link online. 

This is Joe Swift with his milk float full of plants to revive front gardens in London which was one of my favourite episodes. 

Monty Don at Kew Millenium Seedbank

Toby in a field of Orange 

Rachel de Thame and Louise Wesley at Kelmarsh Hall