I have an aroma burner in my house. I use it every day. I change the aroma depending on my schedule and my mood. For example, if I want to concentrate on work, I use peppermint oil. It is refreshing and it clears my mind. I can think clearly and focus. Before I go to sleep, I use lavender oil. lavender relaxes me, and helps me sleep better.

I also like sweet orange. This was the first aroma oil I bought. It reminds me of the time I bought it. At that time, I was setting up my business. When I use sweet orange, I feel motivated.

Sometimes, when I don’t have time to go out into the countryside, I use pine. This smells like a forest. When I use this oil, if I close my eyes and open the window, I feel like I am in a forest!

Today, I am using hinoki. Hinoki is Japanese cypress. Cypress is a kind of tree, so this also smells like a forest. This aroma is my favourite. It has a relaxing smell, but it doesn’t make me too relaxed or sleepy. When I bought it, the man in the shop said if I use it, I won’t catch a cold. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I like the smell.

I have many other aroma oils, such as vanilla, frankincense and lemon. I sometimes mix oils. For example, I sometimes mix lemon with sweet orange. It is really refreshing. I sometimes mix pine with frankincense. I feel this is good for deep thinking.

How about you? Do you use aroma oils?

Heather@ I Talk You Talk Press

I went running a few days ago. It was my first run of 2019. It was very tiring! I ran my usual distance of 10km. I think I ate too much over Christmas and New Year, and I put on weight. That’s why I found the run tiring. Also I hadn’t run for about three weeks. I need to get back into the habit.

Luckily, the weather was beautiful. Even though it is winter, it was not too cold, and it was sunny. There was no wind. There were many people out enjoying the sunshine. Some were running, and some were walking. A few people were walking their dogs. I hope this mild weather continues. I want to go out running at least once a week. If it snows like it did last year, I won’t be able to.

This year, I hope to increase the distance I run. I always run 10km. I think it is time to try 15km and 20km. I’ll do my best! Here are some photos I took from my run the other day. Isn’t the weather nice?

Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press

We have many guests. I like to cook for friends. Some of our friends have special food requirements.  They don’t eat meat. They don’t eat fish. They don’t eat meat or fish. It is always OK for me. I have a lot of ideas about what I can cook for them. But sometimes with a big party, I have to cook many different things. Some meat, some fish, some food with cheese or yoghurt or eggs or milk. Then vegans do not eat any animal products. This is OK too, but sometimes there is not enough room on the table for all the different kinds of food.

I would like to be working in my garden, but the days are very hot. I have a plan to go out into the garden very early in the morning. There are so many weeds! What is a weed? Sometimes I wonder. A few plants I like, and keep in my garden, other people would say were weeds. I think a weed is just a plant in the wrong place. Or a plant you don’t like.

Patricia @ I Talk You Talk Press

My computer is on a table. Behind the table is a window. This is a good thing, and a bad thing! Sometimes I do not work, because I am looking out the window. I have lived in cities, and there were no birds. These days I live about 5km from a small city.  There are many birds in our garden. I didn’t work this morning because I could see a bird outside my window. The bird was collecting materials to make a nest. I don’t know where the nest is. But I guess, sometime, there will be baby birds in our garden.

Patricia @ I Talk You Talk Press

Sometimes we go to a restaurant and the service is very bad. Recently, this happened to me, and my friends. We met at a restaurant. There were six people. Five plates came to our table. One meal was not served.

We waited for ten minutes. We asked about the missing order. After ten minutes the waitress came back. ‘Oh, sorry,’ she said.  ‘We forgot about the other order.’

This was difficult. In our culture, everyone waits until all the food is on the table. It is rude to start eating before other people. So everyone’s food was cold, and one person didn’t have a meal at all!

Patricia @ I Talk You Talk Press

How do you make coffee at home? I know people who have coffee making machines that cost more than a $1000. Then, I know people who use capsules to make coffee. Those machines cost between $200 and $500. I am old fashioned. I use a coffee plunger. I broke my coffee plunger last week. I bought a new one. A shop near our house had a sale. My new coffee plunger cost $20. I think the coffee I make is OK. Of course, the coffee from a café is better than my home coffee but I don’t mind.

Patricia @ I Talk You Talk Press