You got up late, grabbed a quick cuppa whilst throwing on your clothes, half done make-up and out the door. Your lippy and hairspray are in the car to be applied at an appropriate set of traffic lights and the first comfort fix of the day is the stomach settling chocolate bar you remembered to lift before grabbing your keys. Is that you? Because it certainly fits me.

I’m neither psychologist nor biologist, so the questions which follow are thrown open to experts and others alike.  I have always wondered if our eating habits are triggered by a chemical action or a mentally stimulated reaction or just plain old bad planning. Whatever excuse you care to make the outcome, for me anyway isn’t good.

So the morning confectionary hits the spot and kick starts the day with a high, the brain springs into action, you now look and feel fantastic, by the time you clock on there’s no stopping you. So what is actually happening inside at this precise moment? (calling all experts) my interpretation is:- the stomach says “satisfied” the brain says “happy” but sadly as we all know the crash has already begun to take place. Mrs Organised meanwhile, (oh did I forget to mention her before?)  well…. that’s her that got up early enough to look gorgeous before leaving the house, having popped something wonderful in the slow-cooker for supper, walked the dog and prepared a wholesome packed lunch….excuse me while I sigh loudly….Mrs I can sit through a meeting without being embarrassed by a rumbling tummy, while the chocolate munching Queen crashes slowly but surely behind an awkward smile, planning the next quick fix……. handy the chippy is just down the road.

Busy lives, working wives, snack munching Mums late for school, whatever the reason it’s the rollercoaster of a daily eating disaster zone.  We all know it’s not good but how can we change? Enter the psychologist, no not me, I was too busy eating chocolate to pay attention in lessons.  Answers hidden on the inside of a confectionary wrapper…..oh and maybe behind  a silly smile that tells of a naughty secret.

It will take it’s toll, I have seen that in some of my more senior relatives. I may be getting away with it now at the sweet young age of just Forty something but give it a few years and I will be saying….”if only”….In our Autumn years we tend to lose our appetite and go for the sweeter things which are usually  the quick filling things too, I see them with a couple of pieces of cake on their plates for tea, the savoury side of many diets has been substituted over the years and now only sugar packed pickings manage to stir a smile on their faces at meal times.  Trying to excite the palate with meat and a few veg just isn’t happening….now it’s  definately swaying towards the psychological, don’t you think? You can’t beat a nice hunk of Victoria Sponge or a slab of Lemon Drizzle. And these days at The Wishing Tree …Cake is the name of the Game,  I think of it as a Passion for the sweeter things….Coming Home.

Diet will always be an emotive subject for debate, so next time you feel like  a comfort fix, just call into The Tree House at The Wishing Tree in Long Stratton Norfolk and let us show you the best route to “Satisfied”

Pass the sauce….Olivia xx

Eclectic Cafe experience family friendly

There are many different versions of events and different stories for different religions of who Valentine was and what the story was that has made Valentines day a globally recognized event. There are various accounts of Valentine being a priest that married couples in secret because the Romans thought men being single would create a better army. There was also the myth of a Valentine who in prison fell in love with the jailers daughter and on his execution left her a card-from your Valentine… Who knows what (if any) accounts are true.

So are you going to spoil your loved one? Chocolates, flowers and jewellery seem to be the trend for women. Here at The Wishing Tree we aren’t short of ideas! So why not get on board, so what if it is all a ploy to sell a few cards, if it makes people happy how can it be a bad thing? If you are single like me, grab your gal pals, get a take away and have a fantastic anti Valentines

Much love from us all at The Wishing Tree xxxx

Bettie Page 50's pin up

Twiggy and Mary Quant paved the way for fashion in the 60’s with the likes of  Topshop showcasing modern versions of 60’s dresses. If you want something a little more vintage you have to look hard for it. You can find some fantastic little gems in charity shops and backstreet boutiques. If you can find some vintage material and can work your way around a sewing machine it’s a great way to make a new item out of something old!

The 80’s were a crazy mix of shoulder pads, punks, skinheads and huge frizzy hair. Shoulder pads have made a huge comeback and famous faces like Lady Gaga drawing inspiration from the glitz and glam with her own futuristic approach is a perfect example of reviving old trends.

We have recently started our own vintage room here at The Wishing Tree. We are sourcing items for all over the place and customizing various different pieces. Some genuine and some modern. We have shoulder pads, high waisted skirts, brogues and some totally retro sunglasses on offer!! Even a hippy headband  Moral of the blog is that nothing really ever goes out of fashion, just gets a bit of a revamp every now and again! Whatever fashion you follow make it your own.

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Fascinated by the simplicity of matching a medicine to a picture of ill-health, when my family first used Homeopathy in 2004, I set out to learn more, and we never looked back. I find it incredibly rewarding to help patients return to good health and then to maintain it. I am passionate about sharing this natural, gentle and safe medicine, as others have before me for 200 years.

The new clinic is at The Wishing Tree, every Wednesday morning, from 9.30-1.30. Come along for a free 15 minute introductory consultation, and find out how Homeopathy could help you. Appointments are available at the Wishing Tree, as well as in my own office; please ask for further information.

Homeopathy helps my patients both physically and emotionally. Everyone deserves optimum health, well-being, and joy of life. Over the last 2 and a half years, my patients have been of all ages, with a great variety of conditions, including: migraines, eczema, asthma, and hormone problems, as well as stress, grief, anger and anxiety. Read about the positive effect others have experienced; patient testimonials are available on my website www.tasvalleyhomeopathy.co.uk. Patient confidentiality is respected at all times.

My patient-focused approach will choose a remedy just for you, to trigger your body’s natural system of healing. The details of your own symptoms, and how they feel to you personally, help to determine the medicine you need. For example, for three migraine patients, rather than prescribing the same ‘migraine medication’ to each of them, they may each receive a different remedy depending on their individual symptoms.

Homeopathic remedies work safely and successfully alongside prescribed medication; I am happy to discuss your progress with your healthcare team. As a fully qualified, professional practitioner, providing a unique plan of care, I treat my patients with the high standards I expect to receive myself.

Call 07730 515080 for a free 15 minute consultation,or email: tvhomeopathy@gmail.com.

or you could call us at The Wishing Tree on 01508 536008

Why not try it?

I can speak from personal experience with regards to this form of medicine, Sally helped me recover from a very persistent cough after 3 unsuccessful courses of anti-biotics from my doctor, Sally’s remedy had me cough free with in a week. Other ailments which respond well to Homeopathy are IBS, especially when related to food allergy, Migraine, insomnia and skin problems….give your body a chance and give us a call….

xx

Is it just a case of having too many ?

Do you think less is more?

Or is there never too many?

Questions, Questions, Questions? Wikipedia has a few answers for you.

picture from Wikipedia of tattoo and piercings guy

As  a stockist of jewelery, and being a bit of a random, off the wall kind of shop, we decided last year to start selling a few bits of body jewelery to compliment the range. Personally I am just an earing and a belly bar person, so knowing what to stock was a bit of a learning curve. Think we are getting there now mind you. This is the back country of Norfolk, so getting folks to catch on is a bit of a challenge. Little village gift shop starts selling body jewellery….Oh Arrrr!! Maybe thats a bit harsh, don’t want to be upsetting my customers do I? It’s great to be able to cater for the wider market share actually, the diversity of my little gift shop makes it interesting to an extensive range of people and their shopping needs. All you need to do is look at our website to see the varied selection that we have on our shelves.

So back to Belly Bars…..OK so yes, as I said I have one …..the range we stock is interesting, Gothic, jewelled, Mystical to mention a few….something a bit different to grace your navel.

Whatever your taste or opinion, you have to admit that the guy in the picture just wouldn’t be getting a second glance without his added extras.

Go on make that appointment….get yourself a little something extra special….

We will be seeing you soon

xx

Big beads, little beads, gemstone beads? What floats your boat? At The Wishing Tree we try to make a piece of jewellery for every personality, weather it be a chunky beaded necklace or a dainty chain . We have a lot of unique and one off pieces designed by local Norfolk crafters, including loopy lou  designs and Harvey crafty cards. We have recently introduced felt works by twee things including hand felted beads and felt brooches. ……. It can be quite hard to find the right piece of jewellery. Do you look online or get something custom made? I absolutely love big statement jewellery at the moment in bold stand out colours. Blues and greens are really popular this season and people seem to be leaving the daintier jewellery for the big chunky pieces. I love to bead and am always looking for unusual beads and ideas. I have started to incorporate more materials such as feathers and leather and even materials. Charity shops are an amazing place to pick up one off pieces of material or some vintage buttons off an old blouse. It’s amazing what you can sling together with a few odds and sods!

Made by Lucy at Loopy Lou Designs

The same can be said about making hair pieces. You can find some beautiful pieces of material in charity shops and some great stuff in the bargain bin of your local haberdashery store!! This peacock hair clip is made from the shed feathers of the peacock where I used to work!! Wonderful when you can see where the feathers came from!! The mesh came from my local haberdashery store and so are the beads and the result is something you can wear again and again! Dress it up or down, for a special occasion like a Wedding or for a funky daywear look.

So, by visiting The Wishing Tree you can choose from a wide range of hand made, bespoke jewellery pieces, or chat to our crafty ladies and have something made to order.

See you soon for something special….

Lucy

Here I am on Friday afternoon, this week has gone far too quickly, I have had such a lovely time working here at The Wishing Tree, I have gained many skills from this one week, working and meeting new people has been one of the biggest skills I have used. If only work experience was two weeks, being in the work place is a lot less stressful than being in school. There have only been highs from this week, I have enjoyed myself and feel that this week has gone so well. As you can see in the picture one of my tasks was to design a poster. The Wishing Tree is a very ethical shop and the poster is advertising fill a handbag for the ladies of Kosovo.  After a few hiccups Olivia was really pleased with the finished product and I felt quite good about it too. I was really pleased with what I had produced myself and for a really good cause. On my first day I learnt how to upload things to the website which was really interesting and something that I had not done before. I found this easy once I had got the hang of it, and confident to work on my own.  Here are some of the listings I did. On Wednesday I worked with another member of staff and we created a wonderful window display full of cats, I used my artistic skills to great succes as we sold something out of it straight away. I have helped with loads of things this week and Olivia has offered me a Saturday job over christmas. I am going to be really sad to leave today I have had a great time, I would like to say a big THANKYOU to Olivia for having me to work with her this week, and I hope that she has enjoyed this week as much as me !!!! xx

Yes I most certainly have enjoyed it, and I am confident that the other staff have too. I hope that you can show this blog entry to your teachers and fellow pupils in school, and I hope this and the poster can be used in your school profile. Good luck with writing your CV and be sure to put my name forward as a referance.

Love and Light

Olivia

Who’d have thought you’d have been able to buy a giraffe or an elephant in Long Stratton? Since September 2007 when Olivia Docherty opened The Wishing Tree this Aladdin’s cave has gone from strength to strength. Olivia and her team do their very best to make their customers wishes come true, sourcing unusual and ethical gifts both locally and from around the world. They also offer an unrivalled collection of JellyCat soft toys, Willow Tree Collectables, and the finest amber and gemstone jewellery for miles around. Recent customer interest has prompted a collection of mystical and magical items. A constantly changing window display of all the newest gorgeous things never fails to turn heads on the A140 and with an expansion in the pipeline before the year is out, the girls invite you to be part of The Wishing Tree’s future.

Earlier in the week the photographer had been and taken a few pictures of myself and Helen and the shop etc, which was great, and I managed to steel this one for my new facebook profile picture. I look forward to hearing som feedback from the editorial, and seeing a few new faces in the shop too. There are lots of people who drive past on the main road (A140) wondering what is to offer inside, visitors come from far off places, passing through on thier travels.

Look forward toseeing you soon

Love and Light

Olivia