... and welcome everyone especially those who have stayed with me since I first began this newsletter and to those who have recently joined my list - I was surprised to find how many of you there are! Thank you.

We are back in Brisbane again after our visit to Townsville where we were house/dog sitting for friends again. We love any excuse to get back to the North especially at this time of the year. We love the opportunity to catch up with friends and family. The only drawback is that I don't seem to be able to find much time to work at my computer when I'm away from home, but, on reflection, that's probably not a bad thing.

I was thinking while I was away how great it would be to have an iPad especially for when we are travelling. My son made the suggestion that I should look at getting the new Nexus 7 from Google instead so after doing some research I decided to buy one as a birthday present for myself. It was cheaper than the iPad tablet and smaller. It's quite a bit bigger than an iPhone but is easy to hold in one hand and quite light so it's just right for book reading which is probably the main thing I'll be doing with it. I love to read in bed but don't like to disturb my husband so this should be great. It has all sorts of 'apps' that I am gradually familiarising myself with. The grandkids are a great help here!

However I'm quite excited about this little Nexus tablet and am having fun with it.

A couple of the latest apps will keep me up to date with all that is happening with the Olympic Games, including all the results. I'm looking forward to following what's happening as we usually don't hear very much of what's going on outside of our Aussie performers and the sports that they compete in.

I was up early on Opening Day to Watch the Opening ceremony - what a magnificent spectacle! - and amazing to see just how many countries are participating.

Here I am at my most unglamorous watching the Olympics with our latest house guest 'Toby' comfortably perched on my shoulder. Toby will be with us for a couple of weeks while his family is overseas. He is a very lovable little fellow and has settled in very quickly. He let us know who's the boss very quickly!

It's amazing how quickly the 'word of mouth' spreads - and we have had several requests for us to dog sit. It suits us beautifully - we love having our canine visitors here and if we can combine a housesit as well, so much the better.

Are You Drinking Enough Water?

"To ensure adequate water intake, track how much water you are drinking daily.."

"Staying well hydrated has many benefits such as: fully hydrated cells age at a slower pace; increased fat burning; improved digestion and elimination; improved mood and concentration; and healthy, hydrated skin. "

To get even more benefit from your water try adding a sachet of NoniGia or bHip for a healthy energy boost.

The NoniGia will boost your antioxidant levels and you'll be surprised how much more energy you'll have if you add some healthy bHip.

Are You Getting Enough Sugar?

But did you know that those natural sugars found in plants can have many benefits and according to a South Australian researcher, including plant sugars in your daily diet can help your memory and improve your mood.

The sweet benefits can only be found in plant sugars in plants such as aloe vera, larch, legumes, artichokes, mushrooms, some broccolis and seaweeds.

Dr Best, from the University of South Australia, has been researching the impact of different plant sugars on how people think, feel and their overall memory and mood. Her studies have found that healthy adults between 45 and 60 think and perform memory tasks better after taking different types of plant sugars, also known as polysaccharides. And what’s more, they also experienced better overall mood and reported that they felt more able to deal with everyday stress.

"The idea that a simple dietary intervention can maintain brain function as you are getting older is very exciting," says Dr Best.

"In a number of studies we’ve shown that the plant saccharides are related to better memory performance and mood. In particular, after 12 weeks participants showed increased learning and recall of information - and better mood. For example, they were more successful in remembering words from a shopping list or sequences of information."

Click here to find out more and get in touch with me to learn how you can get the benefit of these natural plant saccharides.

Very Easy Scone Recipe

Thanks to my Sister-in-Law Marion for this recipe.

Until then keep well and remember

'healthy cells = healthy bodies'

Jane