Absolutely glorious couple of days here, the sun hot and golden. Today Gail is out tidying the veg plot while Steve makes some new arches for the veg garden “entrances”. We made some hazel arches a few years back and over time they rot and need replacing. It’s a nice job for this kind of day and a good feeling of getting the plot all smartened up ready for autumn. We’ve all been outside for tea breaks today, making the most of this precious bit of late sunshine and warmth.
At the beginning of September we hosted Manda Scott and her group of advanced shamanic practitioners (http://mandascott.co.uk). It’s always great to see these guys and feel them blend so immediately with Poulstone. Apart from a bullock jumping into the garden early one morning (which they gamely herded off for us!), it was a quiet and enjoyable weekend and a nice chance to see these lovely “regulars” whose presence at Poulstone is always appreciated.
We had a quickish changeover and were then joined by the Gordon Moody Association (http://www.gordonmoody.org.uk) for the second module of their programme for women with gambling problems. It was nice to see everyone arriving and going straight to “their rooms” and we were very touched when a couple of the guests said they would never forget their time at Poulstone because it had meant so much to them. Sadly some of the participants did not manage to finish the programme or could not come back because of illness or work commitments but we hope very much that the work they all did here will help them in moving forward in their lives.
We’ve had a couple of weeks off since then and have been generally tidying up around the place. Steve and Mel gave the kitchen yard a much-needed weed and over-haul, Steve did a major spring-clean on some of the sheds and out-buildings and also edged the grass verges outside the office and group room windows which look great now. Very smart!
Apples are beginning to fall off the trees so Steve has collected them all and Hilary and Gemma are beginning to get them prepped and in the freezer for puddings. The apple and pear harvest will begin in earnest shortly and most of the fruit will go for juicing. 
We were also all due to renew our food hygiene certificates and decided to make it a bit more fun this time. Usually we go to the local tech and have a nasty sandwich and cup of coffee in the canteen at lunchtime. Our friend, Jane Brown, now runs these courses and knows Poulstone well from her Tai Chi days here. She came and delivered the course here at Poulstone for the staff and Mel & Steve cooked lunch as well as a naughty pudding for the pre-exam break. Everyone also said Jane made the course more interesting than any they could remember! Anyone needing to do this course or first aid training is unlikely to find a better trainer than Jane, who also offers a variety of courses aimed at businesses and her own “emotional intelligence” courses. See her profile at: http://www.bodyworks4biz.com/who-we-are. She also offers courses and coaching in Career Development, Empathy vs Efficiency, Finding the Work you Love and Embodied Communication.
This weekend we are joined by Har Nal Kaur with her Trinity Healing retreat (http://www.harnalkaur.co.uk)and they are really enjoying their first visit to Poulstone. They are having yoga sessions and wear white for this and it was lovely to come down the drive this afternoon and see two barefoot women in white smelling the mass of white roses on the side of the house. What a picture – shame we never have our camera on us at these times! They have all gone for a walk along the river this afternoon and it’s the perfect day for it. We hope that they will join us again sometime next year.
That’s about all for now. An hour before supper so time to get a little more done on the admin front before we go home.
More soon!
Much love
Mel & Steve xx
Poulstone Court Retreat Centre