Holiday in France Insights 1

OK I promised some holiday experiences, so here goes.
First and formost I cant recommend a holiday break from work of your usual life enough. The last time we had a non work related holiday with no PC or mobile phone was 2002!!! Its been a long time coming and well overdue to say the least!

I have to admit, having been so used to not having a break, the idea initially did fill me with dread at what I was leaving behind, and what I might come back to! So I had a plan to enjoy the rest, but to use the time to do a little research on the quiet too. That way I felt I could justify to myself my being away for a couple of weeks. ;-)

On arrival in a most beautiful area of S France, I was immediately impressed at the welcoming atmosphere and friendly nature of the local population. Initially I worried about how my eco attitude would go down in France. On that note, I really shouldn't have had any concerns whatsoever!
In each and every shop we visited they were way ahead of the UK as far as eco friendly products are concerned, and it was quite normal not to be given a bag to use for shopping. Even in the places we were offered a bag for goods, they were using paper or the Biodegradable corn plastic type, which are so rarely offered in UK at present.

'Bio' or 'Organic certified' products as we know them here, are easily found in Pharmacies in France. As well as homeopathic remedies and Essential Oils, not only for us mere mortals, but for our pets too! I was often found mistakenly checking out botanical oils in the pet health section in a Pharmacy. I did think it was odd that there was a piccie of a cute dog or cat, on the front of the product. *Oops* Must learn the lingo quicker next time!

My most favorite find was also the heaviest. Argiletz Green Clay which I adore, and was happy to be able to bring it back at a fraction of the cost I have had to pay to find it in UK. Especially as I use so much of it in my Innocent Oils Angel Face Scrub!

The other very happy find was also a heavy one but worth every penny. A very special Sea Salt which has been harvested by hand following traditional proceedures used for centuries. Dried in the sun, and guaranteed not to contain additives commonly found in so much of the sea salt available currently.
Keep an eye out for this wonderful ingredient, to be used in a new product available at Innocent Oils very soon.

THE BIG GREEN IDEA

Many of you will already know me as Moderator of the Skin Care and Health & Well Being sections of the It's Not Easy Being Green forum.

For those of you who haven't yet discovered this very useful green resource, do visit now...you will find a wealth of information, and opinions on all aspects of living a greener more environmentally gentle, way of life.

Following the success of the above BBC2 TV programme of the same name, Brigit who's family featured in the show in 2006, has since launched the charity Big Green Idea to enable people of all incomes to easily obtain information and guidance on how to live a more sustainable, eco friendly lifestyle.
This month Brigit launched a newsletter providing useful green tips and advice on many aspects of a greener lifestyle.

I was happy to be asked to share some of my knowledge for the Big Green Idea charity, and as a result have written an article providing cheap and simple alternatives to many household cleaning products.
All recipes are provided without the nasty chemical toxins too!!!

Apologies for the delay since my last post, September has been a hectic month to say the least.

Returned this evening from a well earned rest in the very beautiful South of France, and will be posting about my experiences while there, very soon.
Just got to tackle the unpacking first, and the huge inbox's of emails that need responses pronto. :-)
Keep it 100% natural and toxin free in the mean time and I'll be back on track very soon.
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