Guillaume: Food for Friends

Guillaume: Food for Friends

The long awaited debut cook book from Guillaume Brahimi gives us a peek into nine very different and utterly remarkable homes, and the lives of those who live, cook and entertain there. Guillaume opens the doors on Leo Schofield's Manor House and the Fashion House of Sass & Bide's Heidi Middleton, Barry McDonalds Terrace House, Margaret Rose's Beach House and Matthew Csidei's Art House, plus he lets us inside his very own 'homes'.
Nine different menus accompany each house with food for all occasions, from a paella party to a formal buffet, cocktail canapés to a relaxed brunch. Dishes such as crab sandwiches, Pavlova and Cassoulet sit alongside lemon verbena panna cotta with raspberry jelly or gazpacho with prawns.

All proceeds of Guillaume: Food for Friends are being donated to the Chris O'Brien Lifehouse at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney

French Food Safari - SBS

Food Safari, the ultimate food lover’s feast, returns with a spectacular new French inspired, nine-part series. French Food Safari is a celebration of exquisite French cuisine in all its delicious complexity, filmed around Australia and France.

Presented by Maeve O’Meara, French Food Safari follows one of France’s best exports to Australia, renowned chef Guillaume Brahimi on a personal voyage. They visit many of France’s top kitchens and the many places of food pilgrimage in both Paris and regional France – tracking down world-renowned butter, cheese, chocolate, charcuterie, truffles and wine.

Daughters

A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future.  ~Author Unknown

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.  ~John Gregory Brown

Bids For Connection: The Building Blocks of Emotional Connection

In Dr. John Gottman's apartment lab at the University of Washington, he studies how people interact with one another under everyday circumstances. He has discovered that "bids for connection" happen at a very high rate between partners. For example, happy couples "bid" 100 times in ten minutes. What makes the bids so important? How those bids are made and responded to influences how well that relationship is going to fare over time.
What is a bid for connection? As Dr. Gottman explains in his new book, The Relationship Cure, bids can be verbal or non-verbal. They can be highly physical or come totally from the intellect. They can be sexual or non-sexual. The key is that a bid for connection is an attempt to create connection between two people. Its function is to keep the relationship going forward and in a positive direction.
Bids are the fundamental element of emotional connection. The brief quiz below helps you to assess your style of bidding. More in depth tests are available in The Relationship Cure. To take this test, think of a person who is important to you. Complete each item by indicating how much you agree or disagree with the statement.

1. I sometimes get ignored when I need attention the most.
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
2. This person usually doesn't have a clue as to what I am feeling.
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
3. I often have difficulty getting a meaningful conversation going with this person.
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
4. I get mad when I don't get the attention I need from this person.
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
5. I often find myself becoming irritable with this person.
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
6. I often feel irritated that this person isn't on my side.
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
7. I have trouble getting this person to listen to me.
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
8. I find it difficult to get this person to open up to me.
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
9. I have trouble getting this person to talk to me.
strongly disagree
disagree
neutral
agree
strongly agree
Scoring:Strongly disagree: 0
Disagree: 1
Neutral: 2
Agree: 3
Strongly agree: 4
Your score for questions 1-3:
Scores below 8 mean that you are direct in your relationship. This is great news for your relationship, because you have the ability to state clearly what you need from this person. If your score is 8 or higher, you may be too reticent in bidding. The other person in your relationship may feel as if they have to be a mind reader to understand what you need.
Your score for questions 4-6:
Scores below 8 mean that you are not overly forceful in expressing what you need from this person. Your relationship benefits from this quality of yours because it's easier for the other person to hear and understand what you need. If your score is 8 or higher, you may be expressing so much anger in your bidding that you are turning this person away. Maybe this is because of past frustrations, or maybe it is the way your personality is.
Your score for questions 7-9:
If your score is below 8, this means you have a high level of trust in your relationship. If your score is 8 or higher, this reflects a problem with the level of trust in your relationship. You may need to do more to win this person's trust. Some people accomplish this by concentrating more on responding to the other person's bids, rather than trying to get the other person to respond to you.
To learn more about bids for connection or about the best ways to respond to bids, you can take quizzes and try exercises in The Relationship Cure by John Gottman and Joan DeClaire.

 

Marriage Quiz by John Gottman

How Well Do You Know Your Partner?

One of the most important features of successful couple relationships is the quality of the friendship. Do you know your partner's inner world? Take the quiz below and fInd out.
1. I can name my partner's best friends.
yes no
2. I know what stresses my partner is currently facing.
yes no
3. I know the names of some of the people who have been irritating my partner lately.
yes no
4. I can tell you some of my partner's life dreams.
yes no
5. I can tell you about my partner's basic philosophy of life.
yes no
6. I can list the relatives my partner likes the least.
yes no
7. I feel that my partner knows me pretty well.
yes no
8. When we are apart, I often think fondly of my partner.
yes no
9. I often touch or kiss my partner affectionately.
yes no
10. My partner really respects me.
yes no
11. There is fire and passion in this relationship.
yes no
12. Romance is definitely still part of our relationship.
yes no
13. My partner appreciates the things I do in this relationship.
yes no
14. My partner generally likes my personality.
yes no
15. Our sex life is mostly satisfying.
yes no
16. At the end of the day my partner is glad to see me.
yes no
17. My partner is one of my best friends.
yes no
18. We just love talking to each other.
yes no
19. There is lots of give and take (both people have influence) in our discussions.
yes no
20. My partner listens respectfully, even when we disagree.
yes no
21. My partner is usually a great help as a problem solver.
yes no
22. We generally mesh well on basic values and goals in life.
yes no
Your score:
15 or more yes answers: You have a lot of strength in your relationship. Congratulations!
8 to 14: This is a pivotal time in your relationship. There are many strengths you can build upon but there are also some weaknesses that need your attention.
7 or fewer: Your relationship may be in serious trouble. If this concerns you, you probably still value the relationship enough to try to get help.
This quiz highlights elements of what Dr. Gottman refers to as your "love map." In his workshops, Dr. Gottman discusses the step-by-step process of making sure that you nurture your friendship with your partner. In a survey of 200 couples attending a weekend workshop, Dr. Gottman found that the best predictor of passion and romance in a relationship was...you guessed it...the quality of the friendship!

Why Marriages Succeed or Fail: and How You Can Make Yours Last by John Gottman

Psychologist John Gottman identifies four behaviours that are warning signs a marriage is in trouble.

• stonewalling
• criticism
• contempt and
• defensiveness.

Counselling can help you learn conflict management, communication and intimacy skills. Family of origin issues that are geting in the way of the relationship can also be explored.

(taken from The Age Sunday September 18, 2011)

Companioning by Dr Alan Wolfelt

1. Companioning is about being present to another person’s pain; it is not about taking away the pain.
2. Companioning is about going to the wilderness of the soul with another human being; it is not about thinking you are responsible for finding the way out.
3. Companioning is about honoring the spirit; it is not about focusing on the intellect.
4. Companioning is about listening with the heart; it is not about analyzing with the head.
5. Companioning is about bearing witness to the struggles of others; it is not about judging or directing these struggles.
6. Companioning is about walking alongside;it is not about leading or being led.
7. Companioning means discovering the gifts of sacred silence; it does not mean filling up every moment with words.
8. Companioning the bereaved is about being still; it is not about frantic movement forward.
9. Companioning is about respecting disorder and confusion; it is not about imposing order and logic.
10. Companioning is about learning from others; it is not about teaching them.
11. Companioning is about curiosity; it is not about expertise.

by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D.
Editor’s note: A complete discussion of Dr. Wolfelt’s companioning philosophy can be found in his books Companioning the Bereaved and The Handbook for Companioning the Mourner.
I’ve always found it intriguing that the word “treat” comes from the Latin root word “tractare,” which means “to drag.” If we combine that with “patient,” we can really get in trouble. “Patient” means “passive long-term sufferer,” so if we treat patients, we drag passive, long-term sufferers. Simply stated, that’s not very empowering .
On the other hand, the word “companion,” when broken down into its original Latin roots, means “messmate”: com for “with” and pan for “bread.” Someone you would share a meal with, a friend, an equal. I have taken liberties with the noun “companion” and made it into the verb “companioning” because it so well captures the type of counselling relationship I support and advocate. That is the image of companioning—sitting at a table together, being present to one another, sharing, communing, abiding in the fellowship of hospitality.
Companioning the bereaved is not about assessing, analyzing, fixing or resolving another’s grief. Instead, it is about being totally present to the mourner, even being a temporary guardian of her soul.
The companioning model is anchored in the “teach me” perspective. It is about learning and observing. In fact, the meaning of “observance” comes to us from ritual. It means not only to “watch out for” but also “to keep and honor,” “to bear witness.” The caregiver’s awareness of this need to learn is the essence of true companioning.
If your desire is to support a fellow human in grief, you must create a “safe place” for people to embrace their feelings of profound loss. This safe place is a cleaned-out, compassionate heart. It is the open heart that allows you to be truly present to another human being’s intimate pain.
As a bereavement caregiver, I am a companion, not a “guide”—which assumes a knowledge of another’s soul I cannot claim. To companion our fellow humans means to watch and learn. Our awareness of the need to learn (as opposed to our tendency to play the expert) is the essence of true companioning.
In sum, companioning is the art of bringing comfort to another by becoming familiar with her story (experiences and needs). To companion the grieving person, therefore, is to break bread literally or figuratively, as well as listen to the story of the other. Of course this may well involve tears and sorrow and tends to involve a give and take of story: I tell you my story and you tell me yours. It is a sharing in a deep and profound way.

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

Thanks Monique, this speech is both intelligent and funny

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique Explained)

http://tws2011-audios.s3.amazonaws.com/Dawson_Church_Science_Behind_Tapping.MP3

Well Done Mairead and Bridget

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-ZsMTeofxg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Leadership

http://knowitthinkitbeit.com/

Congratulations Kathleen on the release of your new book.