news & blog

Recently i sat with mygrandmother at her summer house under an appletree, we drank this years limetree tee, and i said: "Grandma, the wind here is so strong, it can rip one's hair off!". And she responded: "Dear, i would like it very much if the wind would make my life easier, but it's too expensive for me."

I sat down, put it on paper and - true. Grandma's house needs 3 kW of electricity, and to generate this much power from wind alone, it would cost 5000 Lats for a wind turbine. Of course, in the name of a greener life this isn't too much, so thought i. But as it turns out, these days even sun or wind can be harmful for nature: sun batteries and wind turbines use composite materials, and therefore both producing and even more so - recycling them after their life cycle is more of a nature harming than preserving. It seems, we need some more disastrous floods and forest fires to stop think about ecological living only in business perspective.

P.S. There are at least two wind turbine sellers in Latvia: Ķer Vēju! un My Own Wind.

 

It is truly a "million dollar" question, which of them are harmful an which are not. There will always be both organisations who'll promote healthy, natural, organic cosmetics and those who think otherwise - that there's a lack of evidence, that there are not enough studies, that it's all "equvalent to natural", that chemistry nowadays can produce substances which are better than the natural ones etc..

Yes, it is a matter of subject. You all know what i think. But this time it's not about me, it's about you. Who or what lives in your cosmetics? And should it really be there?

 

with bad reviews and horrible Google search results all over the place (info for further reading here).

More recently, another company, "SmsReklama.lv"have made the same mistake - not paying close attention to it's customers. They sent sms spam to a lot of people who didn't want it, never asking their permission; some of them turned out to be known bloggers and internet marketing specialists... The rest is pretty clear (detailed info here).

This time it's not just our mentality. This is a tendency. One recent international - and did i mention HUGE? - case of failed seller/consumer relationships rocked YouTube, the hard way. With thousands and thousands of clicks, the Canadian country bands "Sons Of Maxwell" sing-along review of "United Airlines" is something any company would want to avoid. This time all it took was band leader's broken guitar and some ignorance from the company:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

All these cases speak pretty clear and remind you once again:

1. Seller/Consumer relationships have changed drastically during the last 10 years or so. If some time ago all you could do if unhappy with service in a shop was ask for the manager, today the seller or manufacturer will try to avoid sending you home unhappy at all costs. What if you write about it on Facebook, chat through Skype, tweet on Twitter... After that it'll be impossible to undo.
2. The importance of social media is growing fast. For example, paying no attention to bad Google search results is a huge risk. There's a small step from a negative comment to a trashed brand. Similarily, positive reviews can lead to a positive and beloved brand.
3. Brand is everything! This slogan can be found in many business guidebooks but, as it turns out, "everything" yesterday is many times "everything" today.

In the end - one truly positive video about GOOD service and how it can change the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

 

Put some fennel into your Midsummer crown... and have no worries at the table

Dill essential oils improve one's appetite, stimulates digestion, helps get rid of the gases, so you must not worry, even if you have eaten a little too much. Fennel also helps against insomnia and respiratory problems.

Cut some sweet flag roots and scater along the floor... and enjoy peace and harmony into your home

Sweet flag smell during Midsummer not only brings a special festive feeling into your house, but also scares away the insects, improves the guests appetite and gives energy. You can also put a small piece of sweet flag into your pocket - for a pleasant scent and great mood!

Rub your skin with peppermint leaves... Insects will leave you alone

If you'll rub your skin with peppermint, basil, wormwood or melissa leafs, you will keep your soft skin safe from mosquitos. These plants contain essential oils, which scare the insects away. Nevertheless, it is recommended to repeat this rubbing from time to time, for a longer-lasting effect.

Wash your mouth in the morning dew... and be beautiful till autumn

Dew is the only naturally available water on the earths surface which doesn't contain any salts or minerals. In it's softness it is similar to distilled water! Together with the ozone formed by the plants during the process of photosynthesis, dew also obtains a bleaching effect, therefore when washing your mouth in the dew, the skin becomes whiter, fresher, cleaner and softer. You can also prepare a dew mask for your hair - early in the morning pull a towel around a damp meadow, then take all the ticks and mosquitos off the towel and put it around the head.

Dandelion leaves for tired eyes

If your eyes are tired or a little irritated from the Midsummer bonfire's smoke, place some chopped and crushed dandelion leaves on them. Dandelion leaf juice is used externally to treat eye diseases, as well as a facial skin treatment for acne and freckles. The small leaves you can also put on cheese slices. Not only it'll improve the taste, but also complement your body with iron and make you less tired after the fest.

Rinse your hair in birch juices... and make your hair shining and smooth

If you have some birch juices left over from spring, rinse your hair with them. Birch juice, as well as birch bud and leaf decoction has a reinforcing effect of hair roots. You can also flush wounds with it.

Hops for a sweet sleep in summer's shortest night

Collect hop fruits, put them into a cloth bag and place near the bed or below the cushion - you will have good sleep. Hop has a calming and pain-reducing effect.

If bruised a knee, put some comfrey leaf on it

Comfrey juice has antibacterial, styptic and curing effect. It will also help against mosquito bites and various skin irritations.

Rinse your hair with nettle broth

Pick some nettle, cooke a broth and rinse your hair with it - they'll grow bushy and strong. Also, you can try other brewages for strengthening your hair roots - take equal doses of sweet flag roots, burdock roots, hops and camomile flowers, cook, then leave to brew, filter and wash hair.

Cornflower, cornflower

Decorate the refreshments table with cornflowers - you can eat them too! Before a bath drink cornflower tea - it'll let you sweat more and make you slimmer. Cornflower has an excess water-wasting effect, it also reduces irritations. Also you can prepare an eye-wash out of cornflower tincture - it'll remove swelling!

Wild strawberries for rosy cheeks

Collect a handful of wild strawberries - eat a half yourself, the other half squash in fingers and apply on the face. Taste for the stomache, beauty for the face! For external use, the wild strawberry cures various skin irritations and improves facial color. If eaten, forest strawberries regulate the metabolic process and have a positive effect on intestinal activity.

Before kissing - St John's Wort and oak leaves

Collect St. John's wort and prepare a tincture. Wash your mouth with it before leaving in search of a fern flower. St. John's Wort has antibacterial and astringent effect. It cures gums and oral mucosal. For the same effect you can use oak leaf infusions, which will help against an unpleasant smell from your mouth.

 

For many years I'm trying to remember that song, that funny melody with childish lyrics which i was always singing as a kid a day or two before summer solstice, when I was walking at hand with my parents through a forest and searching for flowers. The lyrics were something about meadow clover, dandelions and sun... It was so long time ago but every year at the same day this past memory bothers me and brings back such powerful emotions that I just can't keep them inside.

I don't want to loose it. Just as I never want to loose this one night. When everything around you becomes a bit magical, spooky, when people loose their masks and disguises, turn to nature and all of a sudden unveil that not so long ago exactly here was their real and only home.