Art & Crafts Workshop on Mondays

Bunting becomes as banner!

Charlies work in progress...

Lucy's work in progress...

We had Edan with us today as a treat and here is his creation.

Printing Workshop = Weaving Workshop

The printing worshop was a hive if activity again today. Lisa taught them weaving techniques but she always puts a twist on things. The results were so effective. It wasn't John's thing so he replicated a Christmas card that he had received and showed us how to make origami Christmas tree cards. 

John's Christmas Card

Charlie and Lucy after a busy two hours

Printing Workshop

This morning we had a fabulous printing workshop with Lisa Purchase. Lisa was starting a new project on stencilling.We had new members today which was lovely for all of us. 

A busy and creative printing workshop

Tracey and family getting stuck in

Charlie's tank inspired art

Wednesday's Course

We still have a couple of place left for Wednesday's course in the evening. The daytime one is full.

Alex Laird, Living Medicine, has kindly agreed to come down from London to run two sessions at the cafe.

Plants to Combat Coughs, Colds and Sneezes

Helen Kearney, Living Medicine, ran a fantastic session at the cafe on Wednesday night. The course tonight was excellent. I have lots to tell you about it but will do so tomorrow. Tonight I have a new blend of tea to drink, onion syrup to try and a mustard food bath to get my feet into!

This is Helen Kearney



Making Onion Syrup (for productive coughs) by layering onions, garlic and sugar.



Leave overnight and strain the syrup into a clean jar. Store in the fridge. 

We made our own teas by mixing the herbs. Helen labelled each herb with its uses. I made a rose, calendula and lime tea.

Etoille tested Helen's thyme and licorice syrup and her wild cherry bark syrup.

Non Shaw's fabulous poster

Our choice of herbs for tea-making

This is take two of four! Tomorrow we will show you from start to finish how to make onion syrup...

 

Helen says:

"Here is a recipe for elderberry syrup

Pick elderberries that are ripe with no signs of mold ( September to late ish October).

Using a fork remove the elderberries from their stalks.

Place elderberries in a large saucepan and just cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20mins.

Strain the berries through a muslin cloth, squeezing out all the juice.

Add 400g of white sugar to 600ml of juice and half the juice of a lemon.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour in to hot, sterilized bottles and screw on well fitting lids.( I use passata jars, they work well as the liquid cools it contracts and forms a vacuum seal with the lid)

Un opened the syrup will keep for months. Store in the fridge when opened. Use the syrup with hot water and maybe lemon, ginger added as a winter warmer and to combat colds and flus/help relieve symptoms.

The onions from the onion syrup I added to some stewed red cabbage that I made last night and it was very good!

Two shops where you can buy loose herbs (much cheeper than supermarkets) to make teas and use in cooking are Seasons on Wells street in Exeter and Reapers in Tiverton."

The First Health Question Time on Tiredness & Fatigue

Tonight (8th November) we held our 1st Health Question Time upstairs at the Culm Valley Integrated Centre for Health.

The panel answered questions from the 40-strong audience on tiredness and fatigue. The opportunity to question your healthcare professionals: GP Dr Claire Matthews, Pharmacist Fraser Perman and CAM practitioner Simon Mills, with Chair Dr Michael Dixon is a new and exciting idea. And it worked. We have had so much positive feedback and everyone, the panel included, got something new from the experience. 

Dr Matthews reassured the audience that GPs are happy to see you if you feel usually tired. She talked about revising your medication with your GP if you find it is affecting your level of tiredness.

Pharmacist Fraser Perman talked about the importance of talking through the over-the-counter remedies you are taking with your GP or pharmacist if you are taking prescription medicines, as these can affect each other. He also talked through the services that pharmacists offer. 

Simon Mills told us about the wonders of cinnamon and its uses after a member of the audience told of her successes after taking a teaspoon every morning. As a result Fraser had some in his coffee this morning at the cafe. The uses of cinnamon were the talk of the cafe today. Simon also talked through what CAM practitioners can offer patients to help with tiredness and fatigue.

There were far too many gems of information to share here but I am going to list the key questions below and if you would like to know the responses given, please talk to Ruth Tucker (health facilitator) at the surgery and she can talk you through the self care opportunities available.

I feel more tired if there is dull light. Is there a reason for this?

I have had fibromyalgia and other health problems for at least 13 years, maybe longer. How can I improve the overwhelming of feeling tired all the time without reducing medication?

Is St John's Wort effective at treating fatigue?

In view of my lifestyle, why is my state of health as it is? (this question was raised by a man who gave details of his medical history)

Does the panel not think that given the current economic crisis, with subsequent cut backs and uncertainties there is inevitably going to be an increase in tiredness and fatigue at all levels? What measures, therefore, can the team suggest that the general public adopt?

I am particularly interested in any herbal remedies. Which I can take to help my fatigue?

40 year old patient had total hysterectomy -  5 years later  found low iron count (anaemia) suggested that the fatigue, joint aches and pains, breathlessness, loss of concentration, memory lapses, inability to do normal exercise programme etc. She thought was due to menopause and stress could be due to something more specific . How do we know when we should be seeking medical advice especially when symptoms could be explained as part of going through the menopause? 

The Expert Patients Programme supports living well and managing long term conditions including symptoms such as tiredness and fatigue. Do you agree that such programme are valuable?

I have tried to upload a video but it is just not happening. Please take my word for it that it was a fantastic event  and make sure you don't miss the next one. We are planning for it to be in early 2011 and the topic will be back pain. Keep popping into the cafe; ask Ruth to be on her 'contact me' list or keep logging on to the blog. 

Printing Workshop

Lisa Purchase showed us how to take our printing block which we covered in white emulsion and Lisa then vanished and use it to create a print in her new printing press. I should have framed my owl to make a clearer print but you live and learn.

Cafe Life

It has been a really busy week in the cafe. We have so many exciting things going on it is hard to let everybody know about everything without sounding like a stuck record. Ruth (our health facilitator) has just gone into town armed with a handful of bright orange Health Question Time posters. We have about 10 spaces left if anyone is still interested.

The community gardening group have been busy as usual. I always feel relieved when they sit down for a cup of coffee at the end as they do so much for us and I am hugely grateful for all their hard work. They are now planning to build a compost heap for the garden. They have it all in hand.

Helen Kearney who has given over some of her valuable time to get involved is also planning a series of courses on various aspects of gardening. It is fabulous that people come on board and work so hard in the name of the project and the community we are a part of and expect nothing in return. They are just all round good people.

I saw the video that was filmed here the week before last and shown at the launch of the New College of Medicine at the House of Commons. It was excellent. I can't download it as I don't have permission from the college but everyone was very impressed and it created a new buzz around what we are doing here. Hopefully it will end up in the public domain soon.

Ruth and I are beavering away on the new structure for the Health Facilitator program. We are inviting key community figures to come and get involved in what we are doing and be community links for us and us for them. I will keep you posted as to how it is progressing but we seemed to have designed a sustainable model which we have interest in from other areas of the country - fingers crossed we can make it work :)

The cafe kitchen have been busy as always. It is definitely soup weather Monday's cream of mushroom was fabulous. French onion today with a splash of something alcoholic to warm those cockles!

Bless this Cafe!

There is something about Monday mornings that makes my heart sing. This morning was no different. A lovely couple came in and told me about something that had happened. Well actually they didn't tell me; they couldn't tell me so they riddled. But the gist was that they had wished for something to happen when they were explaining a problem to me on a previous cafe visit and it seems to have come true. They said the cafe must be blessed. Maybe soon I will get the whole story. Mrs J wanted to tell me about her lovely weekend and Mrs S came in for a chat and said how the cafe had made such a difference to her. Mr & Mrs M offered to adopt me - now that's got to be the offer of the century. Christine, Hannah and Nicole were busy bunnies in the kitchen and I had to put strangers together as we ran out of tables but they didn't stay strangers for long. The cafe is an all round good place. Well done cafe people.

Printing workshop was brilliant. I was on the phone to a Phd student who is researching restorative gardens so missed the start but walked into an origami workshop. Brilliant. Then a table of three children joined in and before long we had a production line (see photos). Tom showed me frog origami in exchange for petal origami and what a delight they were (the children not the frogs). Lisa continued the printing later on but I had to go to a meeting in Exeter. And boy were we creative. We have plans and big plans. A little like the riddling earlier I will tell you as soon as I can...