We're In!

I have the alarms all sorted and we're in!
I met the other people who have offices on other floors of our new attached health centre. They are all very friendly. They had lots of computer screens and it all looked very techy. I looked confused by what they did and they were equally puzzled by what I did.
Tomorrow I am putting in the coffee machine (as my friend says the opening checks should start with 'Put coffee on!'), cleaning the hall and scrubbing the green stuff off the entrance path. I think this could be the exercise I've been needing to do for a while. The painters seem to have painted two walls and left two so I may be borrowing Zoe's PaintPad Pro and sprucing up the walls a bit. Nikkie is popping by to see whether it is somewhere she would like to run classes and Dad is coming in to see whether he can help out a bit with the D.I.Y which means it's not D.I.Y it's get-dad-to-do-it. G.D.T.D.I! He put up some shelves in my kitchen today as a warm up!
So it's coffee on, heels off and sleeves rolled up. Where did I put those micro fibre cloths from the cafe?

This is the Hub on the Green! 

The Real Fun Starts at 2:30pm!

At 2:30pm I collect the keys and from then onwards the hub is ours and I am soooooo excited.


I have a very small home, not big enough to swing a guinea pig, so I am really looking forward to having a space to do things. You don't need money to do exciting things you need a space and good people and now we have both. So we have exciting times ahead.


I am particularly looking forward to Lisa running some art groups; planning children's yoga classes; if Jane can keep up her courses for parents of teenagers for a few more years I will be there; coffee with friends; big tea parties with huge cakes; lots of laughs; bringing Health Question Times to Exeter; our affordable art gallery; getting the knitters together again and watching them create magic; getting all the people I miss from the Cafe back together again for good times; my Lottie is looking forward to having a big space for her 10th birthday party; taster sessions all sorts of new things; craft stalls at the weekend...


But this space is for all of us so if you have an idea or would like to run a group but have never had the space, let me know.

Good times in Cullompton with Jan's knit and natter group

Lottie's Origami Flowers

Sometimes you stumble across something by chance...

So last night while I was working, I found information on a course running today at the Phoenix. It was called 'Origami Summer Flowers Workshop' so I booked a place there and then for my daughter Lottie (9 years old and wants to be a Blue Peter presenter). She had a wonderful time - "It was BRILLIANT mummy!" and now she is filling the house with paper tulips and butterflies.
Now I am wondering how many paper tulips it takes to decorate a medieval hall!

Keys = Happy Joey

I get my hands on the keys to the new centre in Exeter this week. Which means all the planning of the past few months can be put into action and I am really looking forward to it.

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.