Cauldrons and Cupcakes

Celebrating Life, Spirituality, Creativity and Kindness!

Tag: #lymewarrior

Counting Down The Hours

Today I’ll find out if I can stop my current drugs, or if I have to continue them. Mentally I’m prepared for my last two tablets. After that. I can’t rightly say…

Off To The Doctor Again

There are only two sorts of doctors: those who practice with their brains, and those who practice with their tongues. —William Osler Hey, Lovelies. I’m off to the city with Ben to see my favourite physician, get some test results, and the next steps in my journey. I’m also in the thick of doing testing, […]

Sometimes you just need a moment

  If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong. — Masaru Emoto Hey, Lovelies. I needed a moment yesterday. I felt […]

That Unsettled Feeling

  An unsettled person will constantly rant about inconsequential things. ― Charmaine J Forde Hey, Lovelies. I have a full day of medical appointments today. Test results, action plans, and who knows what else awaits? I’d love to say that I’m calm, but I’m unsettled, and I will be until the day is done and I […]

Milestones

  My path has not been determined. I shall have more experiences and pass many more milestones. ~ Agnetha Faltskog Hey, Lovelies. It’s been a pretty crappy 14 months healthwise, between late stage Lyme, a misbehaving heart, an intractable UTI superbug and a myxedema crisis – but I am delighted to say that I am […]

The Slow Climb Back

  I think that little by little I’ll be able to solve my problems and survive. ~ Frida Kahlo Hey, Lovelies. I have missed you. Also, I have missed myself. These past two weeks have been hard. (Don’t know what happened? Go here.) It has taken time to get my new medication right, and we’re […]

Well, That Was Unexpected…

  She looked as if she were about to burst into tears, but she was wonderful at catching the ball of her own mood in mid-air. ~ Rebecca West Hey, Lovelies. Well, this has certainly been the year. As you know, I live with a complex bucketful of dodgy genes, autoimmune diseases, chronic infections, post-viral […]

What The Doctors Said, What The Nurses Said

  It would not be possible to praise nurses too highly. ~ Stephen Ambrose Hey, Lovelies. I’m staying home today. I’m not planning on going ANYWHERE. And if you’re squeamish or have issues with bodily emissions stop reading now, or go straight to the bottom of the page… As most of you know I am […]

Are You Ever Slow To Take A Hint? I Might Be…

  “Signs. Senses. Synchronicities. Connect the dots. Follow the breadcrumbs to your destiny.” ~Anthon St. Maarten Hey, Lovelies. I was having a Facebook Live chat with my Inner Circle members yesterday, discussing the energies of the month, and how it’s a great time to pull a card for yourself to help you see the bigger […]

Why I wear my hair like this right now…

The old woman was a witch shadow – hair like matted spiderwebs, hooded ’round darkness of features, eyes like glittering jewels. Frank Herbert Hey, Lovelies. So, I want to talk about hair. Ah, I’m sharing another of my great secrets now. You can tell a lot about my state of wellness by how I wear […]

Losses and Gains

Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose. Yoda Hey, Lovelies. I went back to my regular yoga practice yesterday. I have a routine I do every morning, using an app to which I subscribe. Lots of floor based work to help my lower back, lots of stretching and flow poses. It’s […]

I took a deep breath and changed things

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. James Baldwin Hey, Lovelies. I did something quite radical yesterday. Radical, but so in keeping with the energies of August, and this Lion’s Gate Portal. I set up a meeting with my team. I sat in front of […]

My Own Pfizer Post-Vax Journey – Part 1

Laughter is the only medicine without side effects. Shannon L. Alder Hey, Lovelies. I promised I’d keep you posted on how I travelled after my first Pfizer vaccination. I live with chronic illness, heart problems, thyroid issues, autoimmune stuff and late-stage lyme disease. Plus a bunch of genetic things. So, I was a little concerned […]

What I Did Yesterday

You’re never perfectly safe. No human being on Earth ever is or ever was. To live is to risk your life, your heart, everything. Rick Yancey Hey, Lovelies. So, yesterday I did something important for myself. I got my first dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine. I made the choice to get vaccinated in consultation […]

Brrrrr – that feels AMAZING!

If we always choose comfort we never learn the deepest CAPABILITIES of our mind or body. Wim Hof Hey, Lovelies. Yesterday we did something quite mad. And it was so good we’re gonna do it again today. Ben and I jumped into our freezing cold pool (it’s winter here but even in Summer our pool […]

You Can Be Strong AND Scared and that’s okay!

Bran thought about it. ‘Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?’ ‘That is the only time a man can be brave,’ his father told him.  George R.R. Martin – A Game Of Thrones Hey, Lovelies. I’ve been busy this past few weeks, supporting some of our community through some really tough stuff and […]

Don’t ever give up on change

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new  Socrates Hey, Lovelies! I’m back in the city after my whirlwind trip away. I am delighted to inform you that I drove safely to my destination, had a relaxing time with family, and then […]

I bought myself a birthday gift

What you are is God’s gift to you, what you become is your gift to God. Hans Urs von Balthasar Hey, Lovelies! I’ve had a wonderful four-day weekend, taking some time to reconnect with family, and to disconnect from social media and work for a few days. We celebrated my birthday with a simple home-cooked […]

It’s almost here!

“You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ~ Roy T. Bennett Hello, Lovelies! I’ve been wanting a new website, an upgraded membership program, and a place to run my online courses from for a very long time. Problem was, my health […]

Gumboot Adventure and a Lyme Update

“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast….a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you […]

The Sweet Smell of Night

“‎Pleasure is wild and sweet. She likes purple flowers. She loves the sun and the wind and the night sky. She carries a silver bowl full of liquid moonlight. She has a cat named Midnight with stars on his paws. Many people mistrust Pleasure, and even more misunderstand her. For a long time I could […]

A Nicole Update and A Little Lesson In Surrender

“After all, the true seeing is within.”  ~ George Eliot, Middlemarch   Did you know that the energies of November are great for all forms of metaphysical work, for clarifying our Life Path and for honouring a life-calling by owning our capacity to share knowledge? It’s also a month for honouring our connection to the natural world, and to […]

Wishing for Good Veins

“I have druggie veins. After so much intubation they are scarred and flat and tired and difficult to handle. It’s an odd thing to confess but the truth is all I notice is people’s hands and their veins these days. I have as much vein envy as any junkie. Oh, I think. Look how fat and juicy that […]

A Week Of Wonders

“Well, I always know what I want. And when you know what you want–you go toward it. Sometimes you go very fast, and sometimes only an inch a year. Perhaps you feel happier when you go fast. I don’t know. I’ve forgotten the difference long ago, because it really doesn’t matter, so long as you […]

An ordinary night of magic!

“The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt We’re in the city right now, and last night something quite wonderful happened. Our neighbour joined Ben and I and we walked a few blocks down […]

Join our Book Reading Challenge for June 2018

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”    ~  Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood Do you love to read? In January of 2017 a group of us embarked on the inaugural Cauldrons and Cupcakes Reading Challenge. It was a fine year of reading, friendship and sharing […]

Keeping It Real For You

“A good selfie is when you successfully capture the feeling of that very moment!”  ~ Anamika Mishra   Yesterday I ventured out into the world for the first time in weeks. This flu has really laid me low, and I’m still far from well but yesterday Ben, Cafe Dog and I went out to check the […]

That 2am Place – A Lesson In Mindfulness for Insomniacs

“It was that sort of sleep in which you wake every hour and think to yourself that you have not been sleeping at all; you can remember dreams that are like reflections, daytime thinking slightly warped.”  ~ Kim Stanley Robinson I’m still in the grip of this flu. Not only that, I’m stuck in the city […]

My Latest Obscenities…

“Whenever you speak the truth, someone will be offended.”  ~ Laurence Overmire Yesterday I posted about having the flu (no fun!) and with that post I included pictures of myself showing me as I am right now – sick with the flu! Thanks to everyone who sent me messages of love, care and support. I’m so […]

Me, Flu and You!

  “There are in nature neither rewards nor punishments — there are consequences.”  ~ Robert G. Ingersoll You might have noticed I’ve dropped off the face of the Earth these past few weeks. There’s a reason for that. I’ve just come face-to-face with a very nasty strain of influenza. For most people flu is a mild […]

Three In a Row!

“The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.”  ~ W.C. Fields This morning I’m celebrating a minor miracle at my house. For the past three nights I have gone to bed, fallen asleep and then woken in the morning. It’s been years (at least fifteen!) since I’ve had an uninterrupted night’s sleep, […]

Sorry You Missed Me Yesterday…

  “Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” ~ Gever Tulley I was intending to blog yesterday, and then I couldn’t. Early on Monday morning I was strapped into a heart monitor and holder for twenty-four hours, and while I was wired I had to stay […]

I’m Taking A Short Road Trip

“Go outside. Don’t tell anyone and don’t bring your phone. Start walking and keep walking until you no longer know the road like the palm of your hand, because we walk the same roads day in and day out, to the bus and back home and we cease to see. We walk in our sleep […]

It’s crowded here right now…

“Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription.” ~ Val Saintsbury   While I’m busy on bed rest just now I’m being very well looked after. Harry and Rufous take turns to stay with me during the day. Except for nap time, when we all bunk in together. There’s no chance of me […]

Ginger, Ginger, Ginger!

“It doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down. All that matters is you get up one more time than you were knocked down.” ~ Roy T. Bennett   Instead of blogging this morning I have been processing raw ginger root. One kilogram of organic ginger from our local farmers markets. Peeled. Then chopped. Then […]

Fancy Gumboots – Perfect For Dancing!

“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” ~ Jalaluddin Rumi “You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on […]

When Husbands Are Right…

“Wherever you find a great man, you will find a great mother or a great wife standing behind him — or so they used to say. It would be interesting to know how many great women have had great fathers and husbands behind them.” ~ Dorothy L. Sayers   Big day for me yesterday! Two […]

Love Looks Like This

“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people […]

Nic’s Latest Update: Life as a #Lymewarrior

“O snail Climb Mount Fuji But slowly, slowly!” ~ Kobayashi Issa “Bran thought about it. ‘Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?’ ‘That is the only time a man can be brave,’ his father told him.” ~ George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones   Ah, Lovelies, I’d hoped to be bringing you […]

Not Exactly Happy!

“She looked as if she were about to burst into tears, but she was wonderful at catching the ball of her own mood in mid-air.” ~ Rebecca West   Thanks for all of your positive thoughts and wishes. Yesterday kinda sucked. But I’d known it would, so no surprises there. I could have been up all […]

Apprehension

“You should have seen this coming,’ they said. I did see it coming. I saw it coming the way you see a train coming when you’re tied to the tracks.” ~ Margaret Andrews   I’ve been awake since I don’t know when. No, that’s not true. 2.36am. I lay awake in the dark for a […]

Rain, Words and Silence

“A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.” ~ Robert Frost   It was raining in the city. Raining and I couldn’t sleep, my head so full of thoughts and my body so tight with pain. Now I’m home, home at my farm, it’s sometime before […]

This Dawning Day

“Veil after veil of thin dusky gauze is lifted, and by degrees the forms and colours of things are restored to them, and we watch the dawn remaking the world in its antique pattern.” ~ Oscar Wilde   I woke earlier than usual today. 3am. The night air was cold, the comforter pulled right up […]

An Update from Nicole

“Life can be like a roller coaster with its ups and downs. What matters is whether you are keeping your eyes open or closed during the ride and who is next to you.” ~ Ana Ortega   Hi, Lovely Friends. You may have noticed I’ve been absent for a few days. I’ll be honest in […]

An Amazingly Ordinary Fabulous Day!

“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people […]

Changing Your Perspective Changes Everything

“Most misunderstandings in the world could be avoided if people would simply take the time to ask, “What else could this mean?” ~ Shannon L. Alder   I met with a new doctor yesterday. It was a trial of sorts. I wanted to see if they would become my Lyme Recovery Plan A, or whether […]

Doctor, Doctor…

“As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation — either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.   When do you accept your current circumstances, […]

For When It’s Hard To Be Grateful…

“But that was life: Nobody got a guided tour to their own theme park. You had to hop on the rides as they presented themselves, never knowing whether you would like the one you were in line for…or if the bastard was going to make you throw up your corn dog and your cotton candy […]

Packing My Suitcase…

“Wandering is the activity of the child, the passion of the genius; it is the discovery of the self, the discovery of the outside world, and the learning of how the self is both “at one with” and “separate from” the outside world. These discoveries are as fundamental to the soul as “learning to survive” […]

Choosing Your Emotional State

“Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have – life itself.” ~ Walter […]

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