The weather is gorgeous. The holiday is going beautifully.  The landscape – whether it’s the beach or the open countryside – is looking inspirational.  And then along comes………bzzz…….bzzzz…….bzzzzz. And ouch.Insect bites are the bane of summer.  Bees, wasps, mosquitos and other crawl-y creatures can deliver quite a whack. It can…

Our breasts are affected by hormones throughout our life but never more so than during and after pregnancy. Little Herbs’ incredible Breast Balm is a special blend of nutritious oils that will protect and support the delicate skin of the breast area at the time of a woman’s life when…

This Spring has given us a record-breaking sunny spell and that can mean sunburn, sunstroke, prickly heat. Small children and babies need, of course, to be protected from too much sun, with hats on and light, loose clothing, and the regular application of a good sunscreen. But it’s difficult to keep children protected all the time, especially if there’s a paddling pool to splash about in. We offer a useful handful of home-made remedies.

We’re all told to wash our hands thoroughly in this time of Covid 19 – and quite rightly.  But all that hand washing, as I think we all know by now, can make your skin rather sore. Did you know that with some very ordinary and inexpensive ingredients you can make your own skincare which can work very well?

Covid19 can be a nasty business: some will require and receive medical treatment, or even hospitalisation. Others may have mild or unpleasant symptoms might well have to learn to rely on home treatments, with general medical advice available online.  Some herbal remedies can be very effective in soothing and alleviating the miseries of feeling ill. Let’s look to the garden and store cupboard.  There are many herbs with very useful properties.

In this strange and uncertain new world of Covid-19 one thing is certain: we are all going to have to be more self-reliant and look after our health and well-being for ourselves, especially when we might feel rather lonely and alone. Let’s think about our immune systems.

Jane Gordon, columnist and author, remembers the first 'granny' night with the new baby Edie.

We found the following information from the UK NHS, Canada, Taiwan and Japan.  We hope you find it useful.

Please don't forget these three important actions:

NEVER FORGET TO WASH YOUR HANDS THOROUGHLY AND REGULARLY.

MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING - KEEP AT LEAST TWO METRES APART (EXCEPTING PEOPLE YOU LIVE WITH)

SELF-ISOLATE IF YOU'RE OVER 70 OR HAVE UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS

Jane Gordon is a mum of three, interviewer of many a celebrity, author of several books and, of course, newspaper columnist but she faced a serious predicament when she became a granny... 

A doula? What on earth's a doula?  It is close to doolally? Or maybe a girlie doodle? No. Definitely note. It's someone who helps with birthing and they're becoming very popular with the stars - Nicole Kidman and Jessica Biel  among them - and many more 'ordinary' mums. We asked Sarah Johnson, who has been a practising the art for nearly two decades, to explain why. Oh, the word 'doula' comes from ancient Greek and means 'woman's servant' so you can see why they could be useful.