From our new product launch of the 1 litre Water Purifying Amphora, a fast and effective way to clean horse tack, a big CDB Oil SALE, Wild Swimming and protecting the rivers - You'll want to try it all before the summer is over!
|
|
Shortlisted for Suffolk Eco Awards
|
|
|
We entered an eco award, the Suffolk Environment and Sustainability Awards and got shortlisted onto a list of 4 possible winners. It was a serious award because two judges, the business and environment writer from the county newspaper, the EDP, and the environment manager at a well know brewery nearby, Adnams, came on site and spent an hour and a half interviewing me and then a team of video makers was sent along.
A month later, my husband and I found ourselves at a black tie event where the winner was to be announced. It wasn't Natural Spa Supplies, but maybe it was just as well - I don't think I could have taken any more excitment!
|
|
Wild Swimming and Bathing
|
|
|
It was the hottest July day on record and by chance, the very day I decided to try my first Wild Swim in the River Waveney which runs along the top edge of the village. I was not alone - it was also the first day of the summer holidays and a group of boys were very keen to get in the video and to get me to dive in the river. Meanwhile I was keen to swim and wash my hair ... Did I get to wash my hair and did the boys get me to dive in? Please watch the video below and find out.
Like all inland rivers, the water is somewhat polluted from agricultural run off making the water high in nitrates, but dish washer chemicals and typical washing machine powder with bleach and artificial optical whiteners as well as dog flea and tick treatments are also too high in this river.
The one thing I would like to stress is that there is one product that you can use for washing the hair and body in directly in the river with complete impunity - Rhassoul Clay which simply returns straight to environment after use. There you go, Wild Swimmers, you can swim and bath at the same time!
Also by using our Soapnuts with our Natural Indigo Laundry Bluing to get our white linen brilliantly clean and by using Soapnuts for our kitchen tasks, fully biodegradable products, here at the Old Post Office, we are doing everything we can to minimise our own impact on this amazing river.
|
|
|
|
Did the boys get me to dive in? Did I get to wash my hair in the river?
|
|
 The Rhassoul Clay is so River and Natural Swimming Pool Friendly you can use it to wash the hair and body directly in the river or in your swimming pond. Also if you collect grey water or have a reed pond, you can be sure there is nothing better.
Clays are an integral part of nature and are found on the sea bed, in river systems and in our soils. Our Rhassoul Clay is in its pure form because it is extracted from lenses where it formed in a volcanic setting and it has not been mixed with soil components. Such pure clays are very high in minerals and have top washing and detoxifying properties. Prices start from £5.00
 Soapnuts are the skin of a tree fruit which is high in saponins or natural detergants. We use them as they are in a washing machine, containing the loose Soapnuts in an odd sock and use then for washing up and houshold cleaning by dissolving the saponins in water to make Soapnut Liquid. Like all fruit, they rapidly and totally biodegrade.
You should never use any detergents directly in a river or swimming pond, but you can dispose of used soapnuts in the soil (see my trench composting blog) or compost heap, or water your garden plants with waste water from soapnut washing up and cleaning. Equally when my washing up water goes down the sink and enters the drains, it travels for a mile or two (breaking down all the time) and goes through the water treatment plant before discharge into the river where it is nothing like soapnuts or saponins anymore! Prices start from £5.00. We also have bulk deals which offer huge savings.
 The companion to Soapnuts to get your sheets dazzling white and to enrich the colours of your dark clothes, our traditional indigo has other virtues. The indigo particles stick between the fibres of the textiles leaving an anti-microbial finish. We have found that our bedsheets stay fresh for longer, the bedroom has a fresher scent and the sheets feel much more like they have been professionally laundered as they feel crispy clean.
To get started with natural laundry whitening, just get the 5g packet of Cosmetic Grade Indigo for £3.50. Add a wee tip of a teaspoon of the powder to a medium sized jar of warm water (250-300ml) with a TIGHTLY fitting lid, shake it and you have just made natural laundry whitener, laundry bluing or optical whitener. Just tip an a centimeter or two of this solution into your washing machine conditioner tray and the washing machine will take care of the rest. Next time you need to use the indigo, make sure the lid is TIGHTLY on and give it a good shake.
|
|
|
Cleaning a Bridle and Tack
|
|
|
After a friend invited me out horse riding, I thought it only polite to offer to clean the bridle and saddle afterwards, but of course, it would have to be in my eco and natural way. I had come prepared for my 'apres-ride' brandishing a jar of Hemp Oil Soap, a coarse textured Macho Fina Sponge and a no nonsense Scrubby.
How well did it work? Read all about it in my blog: Cleaning a Bridle
Or see me in action on our video.
|
|
|
|
See me clean and transform this bridle
|
|
Tack and Leather Cleaning Products
|
|
|
 Our versatile Hemp Oil Soft Soap has three primary uses - Washing the skin, Shaving and Cleaning ... this is what we used to clean these bridles.
The Hemp Soap is different to the normal bars of glycerine saddle soap which need lots of water to build a lather - ultimately, making the leather stiff! The hemp oil soap is in a gel form and left in this concentrated state. We used it with very little water, just a damp sponge as we were not aiming to get a lather.
The soap cleaned the grease, mould and water stains off really easily and made the leather immediately softer and more flexible. The results were excellant!
 The Macho Fina Sponge has an even close grain with a stiff and course texture - which is why I could cut it to shape in the video with a bread knife! I normally find it too coarse for washing my skin, but quickly cleaned the horse grease from the leather.
I used the same sponge to clean my sofa this morning and my kitchen stools. The texture seems to get into fine wrinkles and cracks very well.
We have all the main sponge species and the most popular for bathing and showering are the soft but durable Honeycomb Sponges alongside the firmer equally durable Silk Fina Sponges. We have them in a range of sizes and they are all naturally processed in the sea without bleach and sustainably harvested by licensed divers. Now this sponge needs a good clean. That'll be Hemp Oil Soap!
 The Scrubbies are just so useful and never a day goes by without my Scrubby cleaning out tea stained cups, speeding up my washing up, cleaning my kitchen sink, stains from floors, skirting boards or in this case getting grass stains off steel bits. I did try very hard not to use it on the leather, because, I thought it might scratch the surface. My husband loves them too and if they are missing off the sink while being washed in the washing machine, he notices and asks where they have gone.
|
|
Our potter has made us some gorgeous 1 litre Amphoras to purify, energise and cool tap water. These tiny amphora can, with three fills, purify upto 3 L of tap water per day. Being so small, they are very easy to carry around the house, to the garden office, into the tree house and mine is quite happy to travel around with me in my van.
As these amphoras are relatively small and light we can send them to foreign destinations through Royal Mail for our normal Tracked International prices, so customers abroad can easily get their hands on one.
Even though each Amphora can be admired for their beautiful shape and balanced proportions, they do really help to detox tap water. For example after leaving tap water in the amphora for 8 hours, levels of lead, mercury and arsenic are reduced to 1/10th of the original values and that alongside dramatic nitrate and chloride reductions.
At £25.00, they are the same price as a typical plastic water filter, but of course without the need for replacement catridges. With just a scrub on the outside and an occassional sunbath, these amphora are easy to care for too.
We have made a little video so you can get a sense of the small scale of these amphora ... and some glimpses of our beautiful village, Weybread.
|
|
|
|
This 1L Amphora isn't that much bigger than a plastic water bottle
|
|
The inside of the amphora is self cleaning, it is just the outside which does need a scrub from time to time.
Use a water based soap - such as Soapnut liquid, made by standing the soapnuts in warm water. An oil based soap such as the Hemp Oil Soap could block up its pores. Work the soap with a Scrubby, great for cleaning rough surfaces, removing toxins, dust, airbourne kitchen grime and limescale. Then the amphora is ready to use again. From time to time, give the amphora a revitalising sun bath.
Wait for a scorching hot day, empty out the Amphora, scrub the outside with a scrubby and some soapnut liquid and rinse it. Leave the amphora with the lid off in a sheltered spot. Be sure that the wind can't blow it over, and animals and humans can't knock it over. Turn the amphora in the middle of the day, so the sun can heat the shaded side. Give the amphora a quick rinse and fill again for use.
|
|
CBD Sellers Come under Pressure!
 There seems to be one rule for big business and another for us small independant businesses: This was confirmed to me a few weeks ago when I found that my Paypal account had been temperarily frozen and my other payment methods were under threat too. I quickly managed to get to the heart of the problem: Big Pharma, wants all of the cannabis business, not just the THC licensed medicines but the CBD Oil food supplements as well. Is it a coincidence that Visa and Mastercard (who Paypal works with) now refuse to process payments from CBD Oil sellers?
Sellers have two options. One, take the product off the website and this is what I did and having just checked Holland and Barrats website, they have done this too. Or, class myself as a 'high risk payment processor' and pay very high merchant banking fees through specialist banks which have miraculously sprung up. That would undoubtedly mean higher charges on all my products.
As usual the common sense of consumers and very positive anecdotal feedback has been ignored by the regulatory bodies.
Luckily I have been holding low stock levels, but I need to sell the remaining stock. I can do this face to face or over the telelphone but not on the website. So if you are still curious about trying CBD for improved sleep and mood or would like to stock up while it is on sale.
2.5% was £20 now £18
5% was £35 now £30
10% was £65 now £59
18% was £110 now £90
If I can resolve this issue I will of course reinstate the CBD Oil on the website!
Our FREEPHONE number is 0800 023 5008 for CBD Oil Orders
|
|
Ever since we began our business 13 years ago,
we have had a Plastic Free and Raw, Straight from Nature emphasis..
Please give us your support and be sure to share this newletter with your friends and family.
We are in a Climate Emergency and seems
the politicians have done so little, let us, the people,
make the change and show them the solutions.
Please try our great value, multipurpose eco products and Share, Share and Share Again!
|
|
|
|
|
|
