A Detox weekend

Colza fields

Listening to the opera with a glass of Haut Medoc in an empty room overlooking the fields of colza wasn’t my idea of a fun Saturday night.  This time however, I felt completely happy just sitting on the window sill tasting the wine and listening to the music, simply enjoying being on my own.

I cannot remember the last time I spent a weekend on my own.  Come to think about it, probably never as I am usually not at ease spending time on my own, least of all in the middle of the countryside with the nearest neighbour one kilometre away.  I never realized how liberating for the soul it could be to disconnect from everything and just enjoy “being there” being yourself. 

My detox weekend did not follow a traditional detox programme.  I had no spas, massages or colonic irrigations.  All I had was time with myself and nature, plus of course a couple of bottles of Haut Medoc, some local goat’s cheese and freshly baked croissants and coffee.  Probably not a very healthy diet, but an enjoyable one.  My detox plan involved cutting off from the internet, tv and telephone.  A big detox if you come to think how attached we are to these things. 

My weekend started on a Friday afternoon when I arrived at an empty country house which a friend kindly let me use . My first impression was “Oh my God, what am I doing here in the middle of nowhere”.  For a few minutes I hesitated and wanted to go back to the security of my own home, but I was here now and the sun was shining.  I braved it, opened the door and unpacked my few belongings.  After I unpacked I sat on the door step with a glass of wine, the sun warming me gently.  The rest of the afternoon I just sat there and read a book until the sun disappeared and I had to go in.  My dinner for the night consisted of another glass of wine, nuts and raisins. 

Fields of Wheat on the front and Rape-seed (colza) on the back

Saturday morning came with yet more sunshine; an opportunity I took to go out on my bike searching for the nearest goat’s cheese farm and baker.  By the time I got back to the house it was already the early afternoon.  I had taken a long time cycling, stopping on the way to admire hidden castles, rivers, flowers and wildlife.  I was exhausted after my long ride and I just sat again by the door to soak up more sun and greedily enjoy two freshly baked croissants I had bought at the nearest village.  It was a beautiful day and without a second thought after I finished my lunch I put on my walking boots and wandered among the fields of colza and wheat.  For some reason the colza’s yellow flowers looked so inviting that I couldn’t stop myself from going in the fields, the yellow carpet ahead of me just made me want to roll over it!.  After a while I reached the woods and continued my walk until I reached a small pond where I sat for a while before walking back.  All I could hear was the wind and birds chirping. I never came across another soul on my walk.  On my way back I couldn’t believe I’d just ventured into the woods and fields on my own.  I have always been scared of the woods (watched too many horror films) but this time I felt secure. 

Colza (rape-seed) flowers

Rape-seed (colza) fields

The rest of the Saturday afternoon I just sunbathed and when the sun went down I sat on the window sill listening to the opera, sipping a glass of wine, admiring the colza fields.  I felt good. 

My Detox finally finished

Yesterday was my last detox day. After 3 days only drinking water, herbal teas and fresh fruit juices, I am feeling better. It was hard to be on liquids only for 3 days, but I think it was worth it.

As promised, my friend came yesterday to prepare me a vegetable broth. She used:
2 large potatoes
4 celery sticks, including leaves
2 carrots
2 uncooked beetroots
1 leek
2 medium onions
1 clove of garlic
An unknown quantity of obscure fresh herbs and spices from which I could only recognize parsley, root ginger and chillies.

She washed all the ingredients but did not peel the potatoes or beetroots. I was really wondering whether she really new what she was doing or if this was one of her culinary experiments. While she was preparing the vegetables, she kept lecturing me about the cleansing virtues of every single vegetable she was using. Eventually I just switched off and saw her chop the vegetables and put them into a large pan with water. Once her concoction boiled, she covered the pan and left it simmering while she kept lecturing me, this time about the virtues of slimming soups. After 45 minutes suffering her lectures and rotten cups of tea –I haven’t had a coffee in 3 days- she switched the fire off, strained the soup and poured me a big bowl of vegetable broth.


Then she sat there in front of me waiting for me to drink the soup while she was peeling the potatoes and beetroots with which she made herself a luxurious salad with plenty of vinaigrette, pieces of cheese and roasted chicken that I had in the fridge from the day before.

I felt miserable with my broth in front of me while she was enjoying her salad with a glass of red wine. Bois ta soupe ma petite is all she said and continued enjoying her salad and wine. Next time I'll buy one of those ready made detox soups and I won't tell any one I don't know how to make a vegetable broth!

My Detox plan and an encounter with a flock of sheep

Tuesday 19 January,

After a busy weekend I had a very slow start to the week. I had eaten and drunk far too much during the weekend and I was feeling with the energy of a snail. Not even a sunny Monday could “wake me up”. I had planned to do a million things. At the end of the day I had only achieved to start a 3 day Detox plan and set up the HubMob for the week. Maybe not too bad for a Monday…

My Detox plan started with a glass of hot water and half a lemon. The rest of the day I only had herbal teas and plain water. I managed to do one set of crunches with my Swiss ball but that was all the exercise I did. I was so tired that by 10pm I was already in my bed.


Today, I felt more energized. It is my second day of my Detox plan. Again I started the day with a glass of hot water an half a lemon and then I went for a 2 hour walk in the countryside.

I felt a bit dizzy at the start but after the first few kilometres I started to feel like if I had wings! It is incredible the energy that I can draw from nature. Just walking at a brisk pace in the countryside, feeling my body warming up in a bitterly cold morning; seeing all the vibrant colours around me, feeling the smell of the damp wood, feeling the ground changing under my feet whenever I step on dry leaves, mud or stones… I used to be a city girl, now things have changed. I love walking and cycling in the countryside. You never know what surprise you will find. Today I was face to face with a flock of sheep. They were absolutely gorgeous, almost half of them were babies and they were so cute that I stopped to take a few photos. The lady herding the sheep was very friendly. We had a short chat and I had to pull myself away to continue my walk because if I had accepted her invitation for a hot drink I know I would have spend there at least the rest of the morning!

After my two hour walk I arrived home full of energy, directly to do a few crunches with my Swiss ball and then I went off for a body brush before I showered.

I am taking it easy the rest of the day. I still have another Detox day to go. Tomorrow I should be able to start adding some vegetables and fruits to my diet. A friend of mine suggested I should make a vegetable broth. I told her I have never made one, so she is coming tomorrow to make me one. We’ll see!