Roobarb, Rheubarb -Let’s call the whole thing off

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This is a picture of some of the 5 million apples given to me by my neighbour. Home-grown fruit and veg, what a wonder of nature. Today’s post has been sponsored by Maxine whose marvelous garden produce is pictured above. I woke up on Monday to find these goodies on my doorstep.The difference between fresh fruit from the garden/farm, and the supermarket fruit is incredible. And I speak as someone who is inordinately fond of Sainburys’ Braeburn apples which I have decided are the best after extensive, intensive testing. It’s lovely to receive some of the bounty of the county even when you are living in distinctly non-rural Londinium. The rhubarb is destined for a compote. I have had to limit my apple intake as I have now stripped two layers of enamel off my teeth. They’re just so gooood.

What Maxine lacks in house-sitting skills, she more than makes up for in excellent gardening skills.Tip of the day,Maxine: when the burglars turn up at 1am armed with crowbars, it is unnecessary to invite them in for a cup of tea. I know we are very polite and this is England, but there are limits……Thanks Maxine.

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Grace & Favour

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Another day of EU directives, toxicological reports and Pantone colours. The glamour of the skincare business just never stops. In one of the few minutes I managed to snatch, just to rest my poor brain from all this fluff ( heavy sarcasm), I was reading about a woman who hand-makes trugs and furniture from steamed and bent wood. Her work looks amazing , with form matching function. Her profile made it seem so effortless but now I have an insight into the ridiculous amount of work she must have done before it all took off. It caused me to look back on my own progress and years of work (picture wading through molasses while wearing waders and blinkers). That led to thinking about all the companies I’ve liaised with in starting this business. I was amazed when it occurred to me that most people are actually really helpful and encouraging. Even when it’s a huge corporation which is more at home dealing with multinational skin companies, their staff are usually really nice rather than not. I have to say it brought a tear to my hardhearted eye. It also makes me look at other people’s work and achievements with a new eye. Maximum respect to all the artisans out there who build their businesses from scratch, living on a prayer. I count myself lucky of course; I rely mostly on divine inspiration and God’s help in putting the right people in my path and taking the wrong ones out of it. So, uber-maximum respect to the Almighty. You rock!

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What a week!

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The title ‘what a week’ would make most Londoners think of the tube strike but believe it or not, the two days of the tube strike were the calmest days of my week. ‘How can that be?’, I hear you ask. You obviously do not live on Planet Alara. To describe this week as a truly bizarro one from beginning to end is an understatement. Having a bad week when every nutter in the city makes a beeline for you to have a pop is not odd in itself. We all have those. What made this one really odd is that every single time I had a bad experience, something really amazingly wonderful happened within the next hour. It was like living in my own personal rollercoaster. To all you wonderful, life-affirming peeps who made this a fab and groovy week, ta most awfully. In the spirit of keeping London weird, I see that Selfridges is already gearing up for Christmas. I have therefore decided to share the featured hipster with you, along with random photos that I like. Soon all the holidays will roll into one New year- Easter-Bank holiday-Christmas binge-fest that runs for 7 random days which leave a comatose nation behind. Have a lovely Boxing Day.

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Neuroscience and Aromatherapy

ALARA APOTHECARY LUXURY IN A JAR

ALARA APOTHECARY
LUXURY IN A JAR

SHOWERS OF PURE GOODNESS

SHOWERS OF PURE GOODNESS

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Peaches, Lemon Verbena, Petrol, Freshly-mowed grass, Night-scented stock. Every single person has a set of aromas that make them inordinately happy. In fact, the loss of olfactory perception can be one of the first signs of some illnesses. Hope that fact helps the next time you’re struggling to breathe on the Victoria Line because of some soap-dodger! Congratulate yourself on your healthy senses instead. Some aromas can promise more than they deliver: coffee– it always smells great even if it tastes like dishwater. Some never let you down: bacon, roast chicken– I need say no more.

The senses of smell and taste are inextricably intertwined, and are as personal to each person as their fingerprint is. To say that this complicates matters when one is formulating a fragrance is a massive understatement. One of the hardest things I had to learn was not to compound scents based only on my preferences. The second was to learn to rely on people’s instinctive responses. I found that if you encourage people to dwell on a scent they hated at first smell, they begin to vacillate. However, they still hate it deep down and would never apply that scent, so you end up with a false positive. Of course, some testers are wonderfully brutal and honest (Thanks, the BC crew!!),  and that makes life a lot easier for the chemist.

A smell can instantaneously transport you back to another place or time in a way that even music or words cannot. This can be pretty freaky because one often can’t pinpoint the source of the aroma but suddenly, there you are at the door of the principal’s office again. We all know nothing good ever came from THAT, except for you swots out there. So, stay safe. Confine yourself to the lovesome AlaraApothecary range of products and all will be well. Coming soon–the personalised sci-fi style inflatable Aromabubble. You never need fear the Victoria Line again………

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Vision, Perseverance & Other Blessings

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In my days of innocence when the world was young, I used to wonder why people didn’t start their own businesses and really, what a to-do about nothing (roll of the eyes). Then I started my own business and I found out! The monomania, the constant stress, the infinite care needed, endless rules and regulations, the endless expenditure, the zero income etc etc. Hoist by my own petard, deservedly.

But once in a while, it all comes together beautifully and you get a ‘Eureka’ moment that is all too rare in our regular lives as wage-slaves. Even better, because it is your business, you can apply that inspiration without having to pass through a gazillion focus-groups( If your idea involves naked flames, don’t skip the focus groups. Seriously). The most unforgettable moment is when someone else believes in your vision and is willing to invest cold, hard cash in it. What a head-spinner. The euphoria of acquiring the first investors will never be replicated, and that is probably a good thing or you’d never get any work done. So, to wonderful investors out there, God bless you abundantly. You are an answer to much prayer and fasting (well, a little fasting). May God reward you with health, wealth, prosperity and bumper dividends. Amen!

As for all the would-be, and actual entrepeneurs out there, when it all seems impossible and you’re wondering if you’ve lost your mind, take a step back, look at your business idea/plan again and remember the words of Winston Churchill ‘never give in, never give in, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy’

Have a fabulous weekend.

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