Hanging out with Bono - U2 360 tour

You can't say I don't have an exciting life, Bono and Adam Clayton from U2 came in to Wright's show - great interview, Bono has definitely mellowed ! anyways we got chatting afterwards cos I am mates with U2's incredible lighting designer (well hes much much more than that) Willy and its his 'big' birthday around now so Bono personally invited me to the gig in Sheffield last night, travelling with the band and all - crikey a girl can't turn down an offer like that !

So off I went and man alive what a show, if you haven't seen this tour you've got Sat only to get to Cardiff (no idea if its sold out) but it was SENSATIONAL, can't even begin to describe how cool The Claw is - almost like 4 seperate shows depending on where you stand in the arena, I had the luxury of standing on the platform in front of the mixer desk but the view from immediately in front of the stage is very different and very exciting as the guys rush acorss bridges next to you, as is the view from really high up in the stands where you kind of look down on this incredible light show.

As for the music - what can I say, they did so many of my favourites including Still haven't found what I'm looking for, Sunday Bloody Sunday, One, Vertigo...the list goes on as well as the great new ones.

I was well and truly looked after, had the fab backstage catering, and backstage hospitality, saw some old mates and then was taken right back to my days backing singing with Wham and George Michael as I was bundled into a big car and we sped off in a long convoy of about 8 cars behind flashing police escorts and overhead choppers - very exciting !

When I've come up for air (still reeling from it all to be truthful) I'll tell you more including how bizarre that Adam Clayton and I were wearing matching rings - mine is a beautiful blue heart from WDlondon - Thora Walton collection, never quite sussed whether Adam's sapphire was real.....somehow I'm guessing it probably was.

Back to reality, gotta jack up some fabulous comps for the next ezine, and Imperfectlynatural.com, get sorted out for Greenbelt festival next weekend , oh and did I mention I'm moving house......back on my head then....

Glamping...and raw choccy truffles...

You may have heard me waxing lyrical on Radio 2 but this was a fantastic family holiday, camping without the hassle, no cold baked beans or horrible nylon sleeping bags, no trekking down the motorway with a trailor or roof rack only to find you've forgotten the tent poles, no you just show up at Jollydays in Yorkshire and open a bottle of wine, yes we're talking glamourous camping or 'glamping' Our huge lodge tent had a four poster bed, proper beds for the kids and chandeliers (yep) rather like being at boutique hotel in the woods.

Jollydays is about 20 mins from York - set in huge woodland, the kids were free range and came back only for food whcih we cooked on the barbie, in the evenings we sat around the communal firepit or lay in the hammock and looked at the stars, if it all sounds a bit idyllic its cos it was.

Total luxury - proper flushing loos and in our lodge tent a proper vitorian freestanding bath but all by candlelight - SO romantic.

Cos of the wood burning stoves in the tents they're toasty warm so I'm planning another trip for the autumn, if you're into Kath Kidson prints, pretty fabrics and vintage furniture you'll love Jollydays

Crikey I should be on commission !!!

http://www.jollydaysluxurycamping.co.uk/

On an entirely different note have I told you about the wondrous Geidre from Lithuania ? I introduced her to the concept of raw foods and she has overtaken me in leaps and bounds - her latest offering is spectaculer - Raw choccy truffles - basically cacao butter, powder, some advocado and some sesame seeds, you get the drift, email me if you want the recipe, I may put them in my next book....won't be out till next Spring...

Juicy break at Champneys

I was lucky enough to attend the very first Juicy break at Champneys earlier this week, as you well know I bang on about Jason Vale the juicemaster and go to his retreats in Turkey at least once a year, so its fair to say I'm well and truly juiced but the idea of a 3 day detox in the Uk is very inspiring not least because of the carbon footprint and the hassle of getting away for a full 7 days. I like Champneys, you may have read my review on my site and in Lifescape magazine but I like the fact that its not only for the pampered rich, I find it very holistic in its approach, they don't get everything right (who does ? asks the queen of being imperfect) their skincare products still contain some nonsense (unsure why these days) but they offer Reiki, Bowen, indian head massage, hypnotherapy, crystal healing and all kinds of wonderful treatments alongside the usual facials and body wraps. The juicy break package includes a couple of thalassotherapy sessions which felt amazingly therapeutic.

Theres also an array of great classes, me and my mate Mary had a huge laugh trying Salsa dancing and Nordic Walking - you do wonder how hard it can be - walking with a couple of long sticks but its suprisingly difficult to co-ordinate ! and of course I did yoga, power walking,tai chi and various 'abs and backs' classes. All this exercise was fuelled on juice alone and in some ways this break is more extreme than Turkey where you have 4 juices or smoothies a day usually containing banana, advocado etc, this is slightly more harsh cos Jason wants you to feel benefits in only 3 days so the juices are smaller and mostly based around beetroot for detoxification (no probs for me I LOVE beetroot) but you were feeling a bit woozy there was also pieces of fruit to be munched and of course Jasons award winning 'Juice in a bar' juicy bar.

I lost a pound or two in weight though that wasn't my motivation for going, mostly I wanted another dose of juicy inspiration and momentum and Jason always does that for me, God love him.

On a very exciting note the idea was mooted that I may indeed have my own 'imperfectly natural' break so watch this space, we've been talking of finding the perfect venue for a meeting of like minds where we can share our natural tips etc but pop off and do some yoga too so this could be the perfect answer. Champneys juicy breaks are currently only offered at Forest Mere, if you book tell them I recommended you and enjoy !

Bliss at Alternatives Piccadilly and my new album

No one blogs as infrequently as me do they ? We had this discussion on Steve Wrights show and my excuse is that I'm running a forum too but in truth I just can't get my head around daily blogging, all hallows to those who do. anyways so much has happened since I got my smashing organic hair do, not necessarily because of but in spite of....the kids have started at Steiner school, I know, I know, I know I'm a spokesperson for the home education community and believe me I still believe HE is awesome but for a million reasons we needed to let the kids try something new and its going well, to that end we're also gonna be moving house...huge life changes, and...wait for it, need to declutter and get rid of about 60 per cent of our possessions, scary, Now if you've read Imperfectly Natural Woman or Imperfectly Natural Home (what do you MEAN you haven't begged stolen or borrowed a copy >) you'll know I talk a lot about feng shui, space clearing and decluttering but have I ever really done it ? No. Serves me right then.

I went to a fab concert on mon at Alternatives at St James church Piccadilly, it was Lucinda Drayton of Bliss fame, (see hpnosisaudio.com - you know as in the song 'A hundred thousand angels' ...its a haunting melodic song thats literally gone around the world and put Bliss on the map, Shes incredilby talented and rather fragile and beautiful too, and her voice is seriously angelic though she is wonderfully real and down to earth, In truth it was a rather uncomfortable experience for me cos I'm usually her side of the mic, seeing her with her two excellent musicians relaying her own personal stories and then singing both self penned songs and well chosen covers such as Fields of Gold by Sting and Clouds by Joni Mitchell made me yearn to book up a few more gigs in churches, something I was doing a lot of a few years back, don't get me wrong I'm not blowing my own trumpet and saying I'm as talented (or gorgeous) as Lucinda, I wish, ! but as she spoke of being who you are and living life to the full I realised thats a whole side of my life that I've forgotten about. I have an album (Lulu-land)ready for release needing only a cover - why haven't I gotten it together ? crikey might a radio show, 4 kids, a new book deal, a range of pregnancy CDS and now a house move have summat to do with it ?

Time to go set goals.....I've borrowed an ipod - I'm so goddam un-hightech - which type should I buy ? and am listening to Anthony Robbins RPM time planning stuff, blimey that whips your butt into shape...(anyone use his software ?)

Organic and mineral hairdressing

After an ardous two weeks when as you'll notice I haven't had a second to write anything I was delighted on tuesday to be thoroughly pampered. I headed out to the Cotswolds for a haircut, colour and the works with the lovely Tabitha at Spiritorganic. Now two hours is a hell of a long drive for a hair-do but this felt more like relaxation at a luxury hotel. There are two salons, one in Broadway and one in Stow and the latter is in a lovley courtyard, the huge picture windows look down on the hanging baskets and cobbles and no detail has veen forgotten.

There is even a state of the art reclining chair which gives you a shiatsu massage while your hair is washed and your head is massaged ! Tabitha and her team of skilled sylists use organic and mineral colours and a fab rnage of John Masters organics shampoos and treatments. Tabitha encourages her clients to wash their hair less but use gentle chemical free products when they do. As you'll know if you've read my books I'm a big fan of Daniel Field who is probably the pioneer of organic hairdressing but not everyone lives in Barnet ! Tabitha has managed to seemingly effortlessly combine luxury with natural and eco, no mean feat.

Today I'm proud to say my hair is really silky and soft, if you're coming to the college of naturopathic medicine tonight in W! (thurs 18th) you can check it out (visions of bizarre hair feeling session taking place!)
Talk starts at 6.30 - title - is your skincare making you sick, but as always I'll talk about all sorts of stuff.
www.naturopathy-uk.com

We'll get a proper link and feature on the website but for now go to - www.spiritorganic.com or call 01386 848535 Tell them I sent you !

Yusef live at the BBC

I am so lucky, I got a hot ticket to Yusef (Cat Stevens of course) at the Radio theatre and it was magical. Really great acoustic band (fab piano player) who started with a short instrumental then out he came, the gentle lovely bearded one and banged straight in with 'oh very young.....' I was breathless - took me straight back to olden days, listening to Teaser and the Firecat.

He was excellent, its a been a great week for burning the candle at both ends, I saw Sister Act on monday that was excellent too, serious liturgical dance moves !

Did I tell you I presented Vanessa Feltz show on BBC London last week, such fun and the subject got around to Bowen so I managed to plug my favourite therapy, theres now a comp on my latest ezine (hope you're signed up to recieve) to win a treatment - go for it.

We interviewed Selina Scott the other day shes so gorgeous and gave me a pair of her very own branded Angora wool socks..waiting for a cold day now, they'll be toasty warm.

Organic perfume course in France

What an amazing experience ! Make your own natural beauty products or perfume in the south of France. (Discount available for readers for courses coming up, see site front page.)

I'm Just back from a weekend course with Tortue Rouge in the Langeudoc region of France (I flew to Beziers aiport but its also an hour away from Montpelier. Petre Sefton is the inspirational woman behind this set-up, she truly is an alchemist and really understand the importance of fragrance. The course I did was making your own natural skincare products and an introduction to the organic perfume making course. I thought I knew a fair bit about 'diy skincare' but man alive I learnt a lot, I had no idea that lavendar grown at high altitude (1800) could smell so different to lavendar grown at only 1200. I made a gorgeous cream with aloe vera and essential oils and concocted my own personalised facial serum, oil and toner. I also had a bash at a simple organic perfume - my blend which I'll only let on including Mandarin and Spearmint amongst other fragrances is aledgedly a great aphrodisiac ! I didn't dare wear it to work, Steve Wright made several gags about it !.

The 'chateux' hotel is gorgeous, simple but beautifully furnished, plenty of organic wine flowing and wholesome french food (do warn them if you're vegatarian though !) Best of all theres no wi-fi to 'frazzle your brain and I slept better than I have in years. The hotel is by a fresh stream and the water tastes great (Petre has bottling rights) and we did long walks into the tiny french village and stopped at the 'Fontaine des yeus' where pilgrims have been going for years to heal their eyes - there is a rather bizarre ritual of then hanging up your used handkerchief on a tree !

See features for the full article but get in quick if you want a discount.
www.organic-courses.comwww.tortuerouge.co.uk
details of how to get a discount on the full week on news screen on front page.

If you aren’t able to take the time out to attend the amazing full week Make Your Own Beauty Products (MYOB) course, don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit the wonderful Tortue Rouge and consider a shorter weekend course instead. Weekend courses can be booked with www.GoLearnTo.com and, for a limited time only, www.GoLearnTo.com are offering a 10% discount* on all weekend Make Your Own Beauty Products courses. Read about our weekend courses here...http://www.golearnto.com/course/overview/1759/Make+Your+Own+Organic+Cosmetics+Course

To book your weekend course, contact www.GoLearnTo.com on 08445 020445 or email hello@golearnto.com Quote PROMO code: JLG to claim your 10% discount*


*Terms and Conditions:
- 10% discount applicable on all weekend courses if booked through www.GoLearnTo.com.
- Bookings must be made before the end of June 2009 for travel any weekend in 2009.
- Weekend courses are priced from £379 per person.- Discount codes (JLG) must be given at the time of booking and cannot be applied retrospectively