Are you still there?
I’m home… back in drizzly, cold old London for a moment… Through my jet lag fog… heavy limbs and sluggish brain… I realise that I missed this funny old city and it’s peccadilloes more than I could ever imagine.
I miss France too… but for me, emotionally they are one and the same… I appreciate their beauty more and more, every time I leave.
That’s not to say that I don’t call Australia home… I do and how I love her sun and surf, the vibrancy and the energy… there is no lifestyle that comes close to the ease of life in Australia… it’s the new world with all the advantages you could ever dream of… … but Europe… I think Europe has stolen my heart.
Even the cold and rain won’t deter my enthusiasm today…
The only down side to swapping between the hemispheres is that little problem of jet lag. Jet lag is a killer… sometimes it’s worse than at other times… and trust me, I have experienced it in all it’s shapes and sizes. The Australia / Europe haul is probably the hardest… it’s the complete opposite. As I write to you, bright and early, my my mind wanders… my concentration is less focused (excuse me if I faux pas my way through this dialogue) and my memory somewhat diminished… I loose my train of thought as my mind waltzes from idea to idea…
Where was I??
This kind of confusion… this jet lag makes you feel as if life is moving in slow motion… and you just can’t quite catch up… I have a few cures for the dreaded fatigue of travel…
1. Never give in to sleep… that is the beginning of the end… When the head begins to nod and the eyes droop… get outside, walk in the fresh air, despite the weather… and no napping in the afternoon.
2. Drink plenty of water… the more the better… dehydration is a definite side effect of air travel.
3. Green Tea… cut back the coffee and up the green tea…. enough of a stimulant, without the shakes.
4. Indulge in a few drinks… of the alcoholic kind… a necessity before bedtime.
5. Exercise and try and take as much time as possible outdoors… the light is a great remedy for a confused body clock.
6. Waking up early… Don’t fight it, embrace it. Early to bed and early to rise… it’s not such a bad thing.
7. Treat your skin more than you would normally.
8. Pamper your body… a massage and some acupuncture to untangle the nerves and relax the muscles.
Pamper
from florence… santa maria novella is a superb way to pamper
skin restoring helycrisum oil, mimosa cream and papaya gel are superb
i stocked up on lucas pawpaw treatment… nothing better for dryness… especially on lips and for the cuticles
i’m almost drinking my serum and lathering my face creams… valmont repair serum is my latest love
and i have started using valmont 24 hour moisturising cream… wonderful…
never to forget the SKII facial essence and SKII facial masks… miracle workers
Even if you don’t have jet lag… what’s wrong with pampering ourselves?
So lovely to be back… xv
