Interior Decoration

So Jenny and I sorted the reception at the new place (in our minds) and I am on 'find a builder' duty. It's going to look great. Jenny has gone for grey (doesn't show the liquorice) shelving and we have compromised on a screen to the waist (I think Jenny wanted a hiding space). I am getting access to the building soon so I can start getting really stuck in. 


Then I bumped into Francis whilst mug-shopping who was a therapist from the last place we were based. It was so lovely to catch up. I had a tea, blue cheese and walnuts overlooking the new building. 


Then a great chat with Simon who is in his canvas office and we sorted out all sorts long distance. 


So the rest of the week is about working from my Oxford office/sister's house and hunting for fridges, worktops, builders, plumbers and a floor polisher; creating timetables and bookkeeping templates and munching our way through the 1.5kg of silverside that we have just collected from Pipers Farm as payment for a favour done. 

Phoenix Cards

I am now building a team of Phoenix Traders. The best bit is we meet regularly and have coffee! But we also all sell cards and while some of the team do it to keep busy and make some money, I do it to raise funds for some of our smaller projects. In Cullompton, the Phoenix profits were used to buy plants and equipment for the community garden. In Exeter, I am yet to work out what the funds will be used for but I am hoping to create small raised beds by the entrance so it may well be used for similar things. But the point is if you would like to continue (or start) to order your cards, you will still be supporting the Phoenix charities and our community projects as well as getting fabulous cards. That's a win win if ever I saw one!


Click HERE for more information. Happy shopping. 


If you live locally then there will be no postage and packing. For postal orders then there is a £2 postage and packing charge, unless you fancy coming to visit us, having a coffee and a chat and collecting in person. 

Progress, Progress, Progress...

A good morning planning Jenny's reception room at the new place. It's a good job she has a sense of style because not all of us do! I wouldn't know where to start. I also met with Rachel who is a wonderful local lady who is a creative whizz. It was great to talk through ideas with her in Boston Tea Party of course. And this afternoon Catherine and I talked Phoenix cards which I sell to raise money for community projects. We are starting to build a little selling team...it all means pennies for the community pot and the more pennies the more we can create. Hopefully Chrissy will join the Phoenix team and three means we can have meetings and chats and coffee and conquer the world...one greetings card at a time.


This weekend I am going to office furniture shops, sink shops and sideboard shops. I will be researching limed oak and sage paint. Kirstie Allsopp I am not but I'll give it a go! 

A Summer of Planning...

It is August already! And for me, August is my planning month. Simon is due to come over any minute to talk though our latest venture. My to do list is growing and there is nothing more satisfying that crossing things off it but it is growing faster than it is shrinking. 


It is an exciting time though. People know what to expect of us now and so the list of people 'on board' is already a long one and that helps me sleep at night. 


Some of the things on my to do list this week...
Go furniture shopping (Started)
Collect the coffee machine (DONE)
Send off the invitations to the 'Show People Around the New Place' evening (DONE)
Meet up with Jan from Cafe Sustain to talk knitting business! (Done)
Catch Sharon to talk through display boards (DONE)
Contact Jane from StartHere to talk information kiosks...


How many times more likely are you to do something if you have written it down?!

Royal Visit

Here are a few photos of the recent royal visit to Culm Valley Integrated Centre for Health. Their Royal Highnesses and MP Paul Burstow came to see the results of the two year four-centre project that we have just completed. The project 'Integrated Self Care in Family Medicine' has been a real success. We are hoping to continue the good work in a new centre in the near future and Simon is working hard on this. I am building a centre in Exeter which will open in late September 2011 and will use what we learnt in the project and build on this to create a place which makes people feel great again. 

Our marvellous Health Question Time panel in pre-panel talks. 

Judith and Simon in the garden 

A smiley Judith and a smiley Simon in the garden

Emma in the garden getting stuck in

It was a fabulous opportunity to get all our groups in one place and new friendships blossomed as a result 

A terrible photo but if that's what we look like then so be it...Jan and Joey reunited in the cafe!

Lisa Purchase and her art & crafts group

L to R: Liz, Joan and Ron busy making origami masterpieces

L to R: Charlie, Lucy, Tracy and Lisa

Joey talking to Mary and her wonderful creative writing group

HRH and Dr Dixon

Gardening group had their usual table of goodies to take home

TRH were so encouraging and the Duchess was fantastic company in the cafe

Jacquie's mice were very popular with The Duchess

Health Question Time 4 - Sleep Problems

We are very excited to be hosting Health Question Time 4 on Monday 11th July at 1pm at the Culm Valley Integrated Centre for Health. The topic is sleep problems and the panel (who are all expert Health Question Timers) are as follows:


Helen Farrell - Counsellor and Chair
Sarah Hewlett - Reflexologist and acupressure practitioner
Dr James Rowbury - GP at College Surgery
Fraser Perman - Pharmacist


I will of course let you know how it went...


If you would like to know more about self care opportunities for sleep problems take a look at the self care library.

Tidying up the Medicinal Herb Garden

Thank you to Lucy, Charlie, Brian, Jan, Jane, Simon, Tracy, Steve and Brian #2 for your time and energy today. We were very lucky as the rain held off until the last possible moment only getting in the way of aking after photos.

We weeded (Lucy and Charlie did a particularlly fine job) and dug over the soil (good work Jan).. We rewrote the signs (my Latin is coming on) and Simon did a little pruning. Malcolm's new compost area is really impressive and it was a big job so thank you. 

And thank you too to all the people who stopped to chat. Moral support is as important. 

Blog Update

If you regularly read this blog and wonder why it has gone a bit quiet it is because we are in a bit of a transition phase. Simon and I are working really hard with our partners to continue the work we started at Cullompton in various new centres. Cafe Sustain is now Calm Calm and being run by a local lady called Christine and Ruth's role as health facilitator has been extended for six months so she is the point of contact at the centre.

I am slightly wary about writing about what Simon and I are up to on the Cafe Sustain Blog as Cafe Sustain only lives on in our hearts and memories so until we have a new name for the new places I may go a bit quiet, but will keep you posted.

If you would like any more information or to get in touch, our phone mumbers and emails are the same and we are always happy to hear from people.

Kind regards
Joey

Gardening Together

Simon and I have let the physic garden (herb garden) next to the cafe get a little bit wild. So we have gathered together a small group to come and have a tidy up and I would like to invite more people to get involved. We are meeting on Monday June 20th at 12:30pm. If you would like to come and could bring any small small gardening tools or garden sieves (don't worry if you don't have any) it would be great to see you. Simon will organise us so no experience is needed.

 

The idea is to give the physic garden (herb garden) a serious spruce up and I think this is the way forward. Rather than one or two peple doing dribs and drabs we could have regular, larger get-togethers and blitz it. So for a couple of hours we are going to meet up and get busy. 

 

The aims are to weed the garden, rewrite the signs, plant in the gaps and sieve the topsoil to get it looking great and to have a good catch up and gossip whilst we are busy. 

It will be good to see everyone.

The Great British Tea Party

This morning we were visited at the cafe by Alison and Steve from The Great British Tea Party. It is a rainy day here in Davon but they kindly brought us some rose cupcakes which was instant sunshine in a paper case. 

Do visit Alison and Steve's website. They are fabulous and do fabulous things. Proper teaparties with beautiful teacups and saucers, cupcakes and cake stands. It can't help but make you smile. I'm smiling as I have a mug of earl grey and two and a half cupcakes left to gobble up.