Archive for the ‘Life Observations’ Category

What a great idea- I’ve always wanted to be a vegetarian but have struggled over the years…Perhaps this is an answer-

This short video is from www.ted.com – ideas worth spreading

If you are interested in ideas then this is a fanstastic website to keep on your favourites list.

Charlotte just phoned me on instructions from her mother to order some Achy Breaky Rub for her arthritis.

Now this is not an unusual request…but the back story is amazing that I just had to tell you all.

You see Chralotte’s mum lives in England ( Charlotte lives in Western Australia) – and she was talking to a friend and complaining about how her arthritis was really beginning to be very bothersome and restrictive.

Well Charlotte’s mum’s friend said -

“why don’t you try this Achy Breaky Rub – its fantastic for my arthritis, in fact it is the only thing that has worked for me in all the years I have had arthritis.”

Now you have to realise that this is occurring in England and the gentleman friend had just visited Australia and had picked up a jar of Achy Breaky Rub when he was visitng Margaret River.

So Charlotte’s mum gets onto the phone to her daughter Charlotte in WA and asks her to hunt down Achy Breaky Rub…which after a quick internet search Cahrlotte does..and hence the phone call and this lovely story spanning the globe.

It just goes to show that the word is spreading far and wide about our products and somehow it all comes back to us here at the Moon Haven cottage in the far flung south west of Western Australia. Amazing…truly amazing.

The wooden Busselton Jetty juts out into the crystal clear waters of Geogrpahe Bay

When you visit ‘down south’ and come to the Margaret River Wine region – not only is a visit to Moon Haven a must do but so is a walk along the Busselton Jetty.

For some time now the Busselton Jetty has been closed beyond the first 200m due to a huge restoration project.  With pylons being replaced and new decking… everything is due to reopen in May of this year.

At 1841 metres the Busselton Jetty is the longest wooden pier in the southern hemisphere and I grew up  swimming around it.  From annual group  swimming lessons and daring each other to jump off the tower or the tallest diving board to walking to the end to go fishing – a lot of my life has been lived on and around the jetty.

What is fascinating is that for the years that I had been playing on the jetty I did not realise the wondrous ecology that surrounded the structure.  With the building of the Busselton Underwater Observatory at the end of the Jetty we all soon discovered that our playground was a haven of soft corals and amazing fish.

So if you are coming down south do call into the Busselton Jetty… while the first 200m is only accessible at the moment – come May you’ll be able to walk the whole length and book to see the wonders of life under the surface at the Underwater Observatory.  Believe me it’s well worth a look.

Using herbs for health is a huge topic but I want to talk today about a particular skin healing herb and how we use it in our Universal Herbal Ointment.

Our Universal Herbal Ointment combines twelve herbs and 8 essential oils to produce a truly healing salve for broken and distressed skin.  We have clients use this ointment on everything from broken skin, cuts, grazes and ulcers to cold sores, scabies, shingles, chicken pox and even mosquito bites.

They have even had great success using it in conjunction with our Chickweed & Plantain Salve on eczema, psoriaris and dermatitis.

So why is this so?

Well a lot has to do with the herbs we use.

One of the main herbs in this ointment is Calendula.

Calendula is a known anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and wound healer.  One of the main attributes of Calendula that we harness in  our Universal Herbal Ointment is the  fact that Calendula promotes wound healing through granulation of the wound.  Now to heal a wound the body first needs to make islands or outposts of new skin in the middle of the wound so that these can be connected together to make a covering of new skin.

This process is called granulation and Calendula is one of the best herbs to promote granulation around.  In fact it beats current wound care management techniques by a large margin.   This is not hearsay but established scientific fact.

Calendual - a healing herb great for eczema, psoriasis and wound healing

Scientific Research & Clinical Trials

the grnaulation effect for healing wounds through the use of calendula was exp;ored in a 2005 journal article which explained that applying a Calendula based ointment reduced the total surface area of venous leg ulcers in their subjects by 41.71% over a 3 week period.  This was compared with the control group who were treated with the accepted saline dressing regime.  This group experience a reduction in wound surface area of 14.52% over the same period.(see reference below).

This is a fantastic result for the humble Calendula… but not one we are surprised by.  In fact Calendula has so many more applications than wound healing… that is why we use it in many of our products… from skin care to muscle rubs this herb is truly universal. ..and of course it is why it is a fundamental part of our Universal Herbal Ointment.

[reference Duran V, Matic M, Jovanov? M, Mimica N, Gajinov Z, Poljacki M, Boza P.Results of the clinical examination of an ointment with marigold (Calendula officinalis) extract in the treatment of venous leg ulcers.  Int J Tissue React. 2005;27(3):101-6.]

Let me introduce you to Maggie May… one of  85  marvellous mooos who have come to visit us here in the Margaret River Wine Region for the 2010 Cow Parade

maggie may - cow parade visitor at moon haven

.Moon Haven is proud to present Maggie May – a beautifully decorated with delicate and intricate artworks painted by world renown and yet local flora and fauna artist Patricia Negus of Swallow’s Welcome.

Maggie May has been lovingly decoupaged with Patricia’s artworks of mushrooms, frogs, butterflies, spiders and beautiful native flowers and plants. Miss MM is truly a sight to behold … she is certainly attracting a lot of attention out the front of Moon Haven.

So when you are next down south do call in to have your photo taken with the Divine Miss Maggie May.

I hope you don’t mind being diverted to my blog while we upgrade the Moon Haven website.
It’s a big undertaking but we have all our fingers and toes crossed while Webmaster Extraordinaire Ben does his magic.
With luck… the website should be back online by 4.00pm Western Australian Time on Australia Day 26 January!

Sam turns 30 on Monday

Samantha – Sam to everyone at Moon Haven-  turns 30 on Monday.  Sam, along with Kerryn, Marri and Becca, looks after the front of house in the Moon Haven cottage,   and we would have to say that she is the ultra efficient one of our team – keeping the rest of us on our toes.

Well Sam is celebrating her birthday by taking the week off and going to Perth for a shopping and girly time.  Have fun Sam… Happy Birthday and remember 30 is the new 20!

Colds, Flu and Sinus conditions can be easedwith Breathe Easy

Yesterday a young woman in her mid twenties came into the Moon Haven cottage.  She had dark circles under her eyes and the tell tale nasally voice that indicates blocked sinuses.

When we got talking she told me that she suffered from a chronic sinus condition which was made even worse by the latest flu she had picked up – hence the dark circles under her eyes.

Needless to say her long expected holiday was turning into a battle of endurance and fortitude as she popped painkillers and anti-histamines. Unfortunately the pills only took the edge off her condition and did nothing to help with the cause of the problems.

Of course we directed her to our marvellous Breathe Easy Pulse Point Potion.  We rolled a little onto each temple, under her jawline and at the base of her throat.

At first nothing much happened…then as the essential oils began to do their work.. she started to sniff…and then her sense of smell started to return and finally she was able to breathe freely – all in about 5 minutes.

10 minutes later she came back to the Moon Haven cottage… beaming.

Her headache was gone, sinuses were running clear and she felt significantly better- so she wanted another two bottles of Breathe Easy for her friends.

This article brings to light some of the questionable practices of the cosmetics industry with regards to claims and ‘new’ amazing compounds!  I couldn’t agree more heartily with the message of this article.

Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent

This is not something I do very often but this piece of YouTube footage gave me an insight into my own reactions as well as leaving me feeling uplifted and amazed.

Do take the time to view this.  You won’t regret it.