The Raw Chef Blog

"It is easy to sit up and take notice.  What is difficult is getting up and taking action."

-Al Batt

In my last entry I said that the next time I write would be when i’m back home, well, that’s not strictly true.  I got a little bit confused about the day of the week and thought that I was flying back last night when it’s actually tonight.  I still decided to get a lift to SF with Amanda as I wanted to avoid the bus at all costs.  I also thought the ride would be fun and it would be an excellent opportunity to explore SF.

I really enjoyed my last night in Fort Bragg.  We went to a beautiful little town called Mendocino.  Loads of films have been shot there including ‘Overboard’ with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.  It’s also where ‘Murder She Wrote’ was filmed, I got some photos of the house they use which is now a B&B.  They’ve got a fantastic cooperative organic store in Mendo.  I’ve never seen a selection of herbs and tea like it!  And what an organic produce section!  Bought myself some ‘Raweos’ (raw cookies) for the plane journey home. 

Went to bed that night and realised that i’m starting to manifest stuff in my life.  Actually, I should put that another way…i’m consciously manifesting things and am getting good at allowing them into my reality.  If this subject interests you I can’t recommend ‘Ask & It Is Given’ highly enough.  You can click on it in the side bar of this site.  If it doesn’t interest you, buy it anyway!  And make sure you read it!!!  I was reading a really important chapter on dreams and how they are significant in what you are manifesting.  Then it suddenly dawned on me that Lel had bought me a book on understanding dreams and given it to me at the airport so I could read it while i’m away…Spooky stuff!  It looks like i’m going to finish Ask & It Is Given so I will read my dream book on the plane.

It was such a gorgeous day yesterday.  Much of our journey down from Fort Bragg was along the coast, the scenery is just stunning.  We also came into SF over the Golden Gate bridge and had planned to stop at the view point but missed the turning!  It was still fantastic to go over this bridge that i’ve seen on TV and and films so many times.  You also get to see Alcatraz as you come round the bay, what a chilling site that is!  I’m so excited because i’m going to get a boat over there today and have a look around, you know, do the tourist thing.

We dropped Patricia off at the airport at about 3pm yesterday and then went off in search of Cafe Gratitude, the raw cafe.  I absolutely love Cafe Gratitude.  The energy in there is great as is the food!  The owners of the place designed a board game called ‘The Abounding River’ based upon gratitude, consciousness and all that stuff.  They wanted to have a place where people could come to play the game for free.  This was about the time they were getting into raw foods so they decided to make it a raw restaurant where the tables have the board under the glass so you can eat, drink and play!  It’s so great in there, you have a table that fits 4 people and what you get when it’s busy is 2 sets of 2 people sitting together that don’t know each other, having a chat.

The food is exceptional and when you look at the menu you see that the dishes are all named as affirmations (it’s really not as hippy as it all sounds!!!).  One of the things I had was ‘I Am Cherished’ which is a pomegranate cheesecake.  When the waitress serves it to you they tell you the name of the dish to make sure it’s yours and as they do it they read it back to you.  So when I got my cheesecake she gave it to me and said, "you are cherished".  Nice touch!!!

Anyway that’s me done for now.  I’m going to get myself sorted and visit Alcatraz then get something else at Cafe Gratitude.  Then it really will be time for my plane.

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"There is no condition so severe that you cannot reverse it by choosing different thoughts.  However, choosing different thoughts requires focus and practice.  If you continue to focus as you have been, and believe as you have been, then nothing in your experience will change."

-’Ask And It Is Given’, Esther & Jerry Hicks, The teachings of Abraham

I’ve got some time to myself today so woke up early to a beautiful sunny morning and went for a walk down to the beach.  The cliffs and the waves along this coast line are incredible, I took some really great piccies.  It was so nice to sit on the cliff looking out to sea with the sun on my back and the fresh sea air on my face.  It was a perfect time for some reflection on my trip and what comes next.

Amanda confirmed that she is going to be able to take me to San Fran tomorrow which has made me very happy.  Not only do I not have to worry about the busses but I also get to go to Cafe Gratitude, a raw cafe in SF.

Getting used to the roads a little bit more now.  They don’t have roundabouts here, only crossroads.  Although i’m not driving it still takes some getting used to when you’re crossing these huge (wide) roads and thinking about which way to look.  I’ve found that even though the pedestrian crossings are letting you cross, they don’t always hold traffic turning right so you have to be very aware.  All of the drivers that i’ve seen are very considerate to pedestrians.  I’ve also seen  driving school cars!

I’m constantly impressed by the availability of organic food here.  I’ve never seen tomatoes as red and succulent as the toms we been using.  I’m even more passionate about supporting local organic farmers when I get back.  It’s so important, every penny you spend on organic produce is a vote that is counted.  I’ve worked for Tesco for over 10 years and I know that people power rules, they cannot afford to ignore what you spend your money on.  It’s very encouraging to see that the biggest growth area in the food is organic.  Of cousre, buying local is even better!

We had a talent contest the other night which turned into a bit of a laugh with a couple of guitars, some singing, some bongos and some tribal style (excuse my ignorance, it’s the only way I can think of describing them) flutes.  It was fantastic fun at the end of a very hard day and was just what was needed.  Jason, one of students was very entertaining, I’m so fascinated by people who can perforn like that.  He’s got a great voice and did a few tracks including one from The Verve and a Bob Dylan/Guns N Roses number.  It really inspired me, i’ve got a guitar that I bought years ago but never learnt how to play (that’s the enthusiast in me, thinking something’s a good idea and not actually seeing it through).  I’m going to take some lessons when I get back and also have some singing lessons, my housemates are going to love me!!!  I have heard that there’s great health benefits in singing (whether you sound good or not) and i’m sure that being able to sing and play would have profound spiritual and psycological benefits.

I’m off to the deli now to have a sarnie (almond bread, cashew dijonaise, salad….fantastic!) before I start ‘work’.  I call it work because I don’t know how else to describe it.  I think I heard Bob Proctor say that work is something that you do that you think of having no personal benefit, or words to that effect.  If you do something that you love then it’s not work.

The next time I write will probably be at home so i’ll check-in then.

Bye for now.

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I’m just off on a three and a half hour drive to the Fresh Festival now but before I go I wanted to leave you with a quote from the film ‘What The Bleep Do We Know’.  Make sure you watch this film, it will fry your brain (in a good way) for at least a day!…

"I am much more than I think I am.  I can be much more even than that.  I can influence my environment.  The people.  I can influence space itself.  I can influence the future.  I am responsible for all those things.  I and the surround are not separate.  They’re part of one.  I’m connected to it all.  I’m not alone."

- William Tiller, Ph.D.

Ponder that one for a while!

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"Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires…courage."

Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803-1882, Poet and Essayist

What a crazy 3 days i’ve had.  Been training for my pt 3 ADI test in Eastbourne from early morning to late in the evening and it’s been an incredible experience.  My trainer is one of the most inspiring people i’ve ever met.  The way he has been able to take me from where I was at and bring out the kind of skills i’m showing now has left me in awe.  He is truly a guy who loves what he does, is passionate about helping people and has found his purpose in life.  His communication skills are so finely tuned that I feel like he listens to everything I say and is constantly thinking about how to motivate me.  I’m so grateful for manifesting him into my life at the right time.  When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

So tomorrow is the big day of my test and i’m completely confident I will pass. I just feel that it’s going to be a question of how high of a grade I get rather than whether I pass or not.  My parents and freinds are more nervous than I am!

Haven’t a chance to think about anything else this week so that’s it for now, i’ll write with good news tomorrow.

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