Orson’s Page

Orson’s Page

WELCOME TO ORSON’S PAGE !

On this page, you will find a selection of photos and videos featuring our special friend Orson. He is a working-line German Shepherd who came to live with us in November 2020. Update – Orson now has his own Instagram page – @orson_2020

Here you’ll see Orson as a tiny puppy, including photos of him in the actual advert when he was just a few days old, and when I came to view him at 6 weeks of age.

The following video captures Orson’s first moments at his new home, after a 7 hours’ drive. He was cheerful and curious about everything, probably relieved the endless drive was over! 

Here’s Orson enjoying his 3rd day home. One of his ears has just gone up! 

This is a collage of photos from that irresistible and often hilarious phase between two and three months of age. They grow so incredibly fast, so I am glad I captured some of the moments. 

Orson’s frolickings in a dog agility tunnel. 

This video is a result of me giving in to an over-enthusiastic puppy who insisted on joining in every time I rolled out the yoga mat..! 😉

Orson’s foraging in the wild – from his perspective. Watch out for the ominous end..!

Orson’s first attempt at swimming! Just a few days before his first birthday.

My favourite collar for night walks with Orson:

Look what’s happened in the meadow…

Gallery

I hope you’ve enjoyed Orson’s page. You can also visit his Instagram page for more!

Note: I train Orson with Adolescent Dogs Online Training Academy, both online and live, and I can highly recommend this training platform to any dog owner, regardless of the dog’s age. If you have any questions, just scroll down the page to the comment form and I’ll get back to you soon. 

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BY LUCIE … & ORSON ! 

  Visit Orson’s Instagram!

RECOMMENDED POSTS:

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Five Dogs Five Walks
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My Music – Recordings and Releases

My Music – Recordings and Releases

golden string

Golden String (2022) Released with Bandcamp

Listen to my tune if you’d like to get moving.

Stream or Download

meridian-wheel-affirmations

Meridian Wheel (2022) Released with Bandcamp

Affirmations inspired by the ancient wisdom of the body’se nergy channels

Stream or Download

LuRay Hit the House

Hit the House (2021) Released with Bandcamp

Listen to my tune if you’d like to get moving.

Stream or Download

Sugarhill High (2022) Released with Bandcamp

A joyful and wacky tune!

Stream or Download

A collaboration with the poet Aidan Andrew Dun, this album could be described as a cross-genre venture in electronica where nu-jazz and two-step collide with dub, hip-hop and ambient. 

Stream or download

 

Impressionistic settings of Aidan Andrew Dun’s poems to piano, with early 20th century influences.

iTunes / Apple Music
Amazon US / Amazon UK

A limited-edition of ‘Colours & Lights’ by Instant Flight, (2004) the best of UK New Psychedelics wave, featuring a very special guest Arthur Brown. He sings on the tracks ‘Kites’ and ‘Freeway’, which he ends with his ominous ‘God-of-hell-fire’ shrieks! There’s also ‘Will You Think of Me’, sang by me (see the ‘Video’ section).

Amazon US / Amazon UK

A well-received album by the psychedelic legends Instant Flight. It includes the track ‘Celebrate‘ (see the Video section) and an upbeat ‘Get Away‘ where I play harmonica, or the divine Gentle Waves of Sound, which makes one wonder whether Marco Magnani is really from this planet.

iTunes / Apple Music
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The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’s album ‘Zim Zam Zim’, (2014) (inc. some of my keyboards and backing vocals) is full of intriguing textures and rhythms, and, of course, staggering vocal range of the one and only Arthur Brown. Most of the keyboards on the recording are by the amazing Sam Walker, but I took over those parts when playing live.

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Live recording from ‘High Voltage’ festival in London, 2011, including the version of ‘Spontaneous Apple Creation’ (see the Video section). 

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‘Blue Skies Opening’, a classic by ‘Mark and the Clouds’ (former Instant Flight), where I played the keyboards. It also features the wonderful Fabio Serrone (bass), who’s very sadly no longer with us. Listen to my favourites Blue Skies Opening, or For All Diamonds to Shine. This song ‘sends shiver down my spine’, to quote the great Nikki Sudden who described Instant Flight’s music with these words.

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Cumulus, a 2017 by ‘Mark & the Clouds’ (former Instant Flight), where I played keyboards. Check out Marco Magnani’s Bert Jansch-esque guitar playing and beautiful vocals on I’m Stopping Here, The Endless Road, Take My Sky, and more.

iTunes / Apple Music
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A multi-genre album by the Prague supergroup Eggnoise, where I made a guest appearance playing keyboards on the track ‘Leaving’, together with ‘Big Daddy Blues’ Cleanhead Phil.

iTunes / Apple Music
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BY LUCIE DUN

Ditto Music
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Five Dogs, Five Walks

Five Dogs, Five Walks

Does your dog pull on the lead, chase everything that moves, bark and lunge at dogs, or make your walk an ordeal for any other reason? Then you may want to watch a documentary called Walk with the Trainers 

You’ll witness some of the most challenging dog walks, with professional trainers and behaviourists from Adolescent Dogs, my favourite dog-training platform. My eight-month-old fast-growing puppy, Orson, has definitely benefited from the lead-walking techniques I learned by watching the documentary. He is now much more relaxed and manageable, but only a few weeks ago our walks looked like this…!

puppy pulling a a lead

This page contains affiliate links – i.e. if you make a purchase through those links, you will help me to earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The full disclosure can be viewed here. Thank you for your support!

Different Dogs, Different Issues

The head trainers and behaviourists from this award-winning training academy, Mike Newland and Jenny Trigg, have selected 5 different dogs to follow on their daily walk. You’ll be able to observe how these dogs – each with a different issue – are managed, and which exercises their owners should follow to improve their walking experience.

The Dogs Featuring in the Series:

1) Juno, a German Shepherd who lunges and barks at other dogs, dragging their owner behind

2) Digby, a Portuguese Rescue Doberman Cross, overexcited at walks, and frustrated when he can’t socialise with other dogs 

3) Bertie, a  Goldendoodle who gets very easily distracted and is obsessed with dogs

4) Forest, a Vizsla who has issues with recall and lead walking

5) Badger, an over-excited Cocker Spaniel that’s getting used to walks in new environments, full of challenging sights and scents.

dogs featuring in the documentary

Real-Life Training Full of Challenges

What is unique about this series is that Mike and Jenny have filmed the walks in an environment full of distractions, including other dogs running to them and interfering with the training process. You will therefore have a chance to watch what they will do if things get ‘out of hand’.

I must say that I find this approach of the trainers rather courageous. The internet is full of dog training videos, but not every dog professional dares to film their training in real-life situations – e.g. busy parks with other dogs with unpredictable behaviour. There are many things that could go wrong when dealing with reactive dogs. The Five Dogs Five Walks is certainly an exciting documentary full of challenging situations.

Challenges on walks

Training Plan for Each Dog

As Jenny and Mike walk the dogs and deal with all sorts of situations, they implement specific training exercises tailored to each dog’s needs. All these exercises are available as video tutorials on the Adolescent Dogs‘ online academy.

Live Chat During the Streamed Walks

Each episode of Walk with the Trainer was streamed as a live webinar, where the viewers were able to chat with the trainers while they were walking the dogs, and get their questions answered. All this was to be available for playback anytime later, so if anyone missed the live-streaming dates, they could rewatch the videos when convenient. The videos are now a part of the Adolescent Dogs Acedemy syllabus, available to watch anytime.

Five dogs, five walks

The original poster for the series, under the name ‘Five Dogs, Five Walks’.

How to Watch ‘Walk with the Trainers’

If you are a member of the Adolescent Dogs Academy, like I am, you can watch all episodes of this series for free and replay them any time you want.

If you are not a member, you can sign up here, with an option of a seven-day free trial.During that time you can watch as many training videos as you like, and ask the trainers any questions you have about your dog. The head trainers will give you feedback on your training and help you build a training plan.

VIP club all-access

Check Out the Lead Walking Course Now

As a part of your free trial, you can instantly access all Adolescent Dogs‘ video courses, including the Lead Walking course. You can check it out right now, and start teaching your dog to walk nicely on the lead straight away.

Lead Walking Course

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in the Lead Walking course:

  • Foundation lead walking exercises to get you started
  • Teaching your dog to heel (and enjoy it!)
  • How to stop pulling and how to walk with a nice loose lead instead
  • How to hold the lead correctly
  • How to walk past distractions
  • How to greet people politely without lunging or jumping
  • Which equipment to use, and why
  • Puppy problem solving, e.g. refusing to walk on a lead, not wanting to wear a harness, etc.
  • How to remove food luring

…and more.

You can follow the videos, do the exercises with your dog, film them and send them to Mike and Jenny for feedback. They‘ll always show you what to do if you get stuck. And if you don’t like shooting videos, you can just ask them questions or describe your dogs’ current training or behavioural issue, and get expert help 24/7.

Other Courses to Check During Your Free Trial

Apart from the Lead Walking course, you can check out other courses on Adolescent Dogs’ platform, such as:

Ultimate Puppy Course
Calm Canine
Impulse Control Course
Foundation Skills Course
Calm Canine Challenge
Nosework Challenge Course
Unleashed
Reactive Rehab Course
Kids Club

…and more. Also, every weekend Mike and Jenny do Live Training Demos with new dogs, so you can see how they work through common training struggles with dogs that are still learning. You can watch these live demos on the Facebook support group, and join the live chat, or replay them later.  

Adolescent Dogs Online Academy

Shares and Comments

I hope that this post will help you and your dog to have much nicer walks together. Feel free to share it with anyone you know that may find it useful. And, if you’d like to leave a comment or ask me a question, scroll further down to the comments form.

More Puppy Videos?

If you’d like to see some fun videos of my German Shepherd Orson, including some of him as a tiny puppy, have a look at Orson’s Page.

Naturegrooves

BY LUCIE … & ORSON ! 

  Visit Orson’s Instagram!

RECOMMENDED POSTS:

Orsons Page
Do you need help with your dog?
Things to get for a puppy
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 in alliance with

Adiolescent Dogs Online Training Academy
Adolescent Dogs Training Academy

This site has been built with DIVI, by Elegant Themes.

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. This means that if you decide to make a purchase through my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. (The full Affiliate Disclosure can be read here.) If you’d like to learn more about affiliate marketing, e.g. how to earn extra income from blogging and promoting products you like and would recommend to others, which is what I do, check out Wealthy Affiliate, my favourite platform for online marketers. You can create a free account, which will enable you to make your own website in a few simple steps, and host it with them – free of charge – for as long as you like. You can test it right now by trying their free website builder SiteRubix. Thank you for visiting!

Free starter membership with Wealthy Affiliate

Improving Eczema Symptoms with Acupressure

Improving Eczema Symptoms with Acupressure

Those of us who have suffered from eczema (such as Atopic Dermatitis) know how unpleasant this condition can be. Fortunately, there are techniques that can ease the symptoms of this condition. After considerable research, I have found out that a number of different sources (sites dedicated to the problem of eczema or acupuncture manuals), agree on the same techniques for this skin issue.

In this post, I am going to share several techniques which, if practiced daily for a number of weeks, may bring relief.

Acupuncture and Acupressure

Acupuncture and acupressure have both proven to be successful in relieving symptoms of eczema. First, let’s have a look at the difference between these two ways of treatment:

Acupuncture

Acupuncture uses fine needles, inserted at specific points along the body’s energetic pathways (meridians). This is believed to restore and balance the flow of energy necessary for healing. You need to find a qualified acupuncture practitioner to get a treatment, and you’ll usually need a number of sessions for the treatment to be effective.

Acupressure

Acupressure works on the same principle, but uses fingertips instead of needles. This means that you can apply this treatment to yourself or others, at home or wherever suits you.

Improvement Through Acupressure

In one of their articles at nationaleczema.org, Kachiu C. Lee, M.D. and Peter A. Lio, M.D. describe a study that has been conducted by Northwestern University’s Department of Dermatology to explore the effects of acupressure.

The participants of the experiment – all eczema sufferers – were divided into two groups: An experimental group and a control group. Both groups were instructed to continue their usual regime of eczema treatments, such as oral medications, steroid creams, moisturizers etc.

The subjects from the experimental group were also instructed to apply pressure at a specific acupuncture point (shown later in this article). They would have to do this on a daily basis for four weeks.

The participants in the control group were told to just stick to their usual regime of treatment, and not use any acupressure or acupuncture during these four week period.

The Results

After the four weeks passed, all participants were invited for follow-up examination. The subjects in the experimental group (those who were instructed to work with specific acupressure points) reported noticeable improvement of their eczema symptomps, including decreased itching sensation.

The participants from the control group who did not use any acupressure, had no noticeable change in their skin condition.

Acupressure Point for Eczema

The acupressure point used in the study was Large Intestine 11. This point lies on the energetic channel that not only nourishes the organ Large Intestine, but impacts the health of other organs and systems such as the skin. This is where it is located:

Lareg Intestine 11 acupressure point

Large Intestine 11

There are two more points which are often used for alleviating symptoms of eczema, and I would highly recommend including these in your daily routine, together with the Large Intestine 11 (LI 11).

These are: Spleen 10 and Bladder 40.

Spleen 10 acupressure point

Spleen 10

Bladder 40 acupressure point

Bladder 40

Note: The pictures come from my favourite app called POINTS, and are licenced to Miridia Acupuncture Technology. If you’d like to find out more out this app, you can read my review here. 

How to Apply Acupressure

To work with the acupressure points, use your thumb (on any finger of your preference) and apply steady pressure to a given point. Rub/stimulate the point in a circular motion for 1-2 minutes. Ideally, you may want to do this on a daily basis for at least two weeks, or until you start noticing some relief in itchiness, sensation of heat, or the number of lesions.

It is best to incorporate the acupressure sessions in your daily activities, e.g. when you relax, watch TV, wait in a queue, lie in bed, etc.

Perseverance Pays Off

Working with the points is easy: Simply press or rub the point in a circular motion for 1-2 minutes. However, if you’d like to see results, it is necessary to stick to this treatment for a number of weeks, as in the experiment by the Northwestern University’s Department of Dermatology. Just integrate it in your daily routine and you may be well rewarded for your discipline sooner or later.

Recap

The three acupressure points for alleviating symptoms of eczema are:

Large Intestine 11

Spleen 10

Bladder 40.

They should be stimulated/rubbed in circular motion for 1-2 minutes.

Here are pictures of each point once more:

Lareg Intestine 11 acupressure point

Large Intestine 11

Spleen 10 acupressure point

Spleen 10

Bladder 40 acupressure point

Bladder 40

Healthy Liver

Another important point to mention in connection with eczema is the health of the liver which regulates detoxification of the blood. Often, the red itchy patches will become more inflamed when your blood has high level of toxins.

Massaging the Neurolymphatic Points

One way to encourage the elimination of those toxins is by regularly massaging the neurolymphatic points of the Liver, which are located (all along the line) under the right breast. This method is frequently used by osteopaths, chiropractors, kinesiologists, energy medicine practitioners etc.

liver-neurolymphatic-points

Questions or Comments

I hope you will find some of these techniques useful. If you have any questions or comments, do let me know in the comment section below.

BY LUCIE DUN

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RECOMMENDED SECTIONS:

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Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. This means that if you decide to make a purchase through my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. (The full Affiliate Disclosure can be read here.) If you’d like to learn more about affiliate marketing, e.g. how to earn extra income from blogging and promoting products you like and would recommend to others, which is what I do, check out Wealthy Affiliate, my favourite platform for online marketers. You can create a free account, which will enable you to make your own website in a few simple steps, and host it with them – free of charge – for as long as you like. You can test it right now by trying their free website builder SiteRubix. Thank you for visiting!

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The Best of Eckhart Tolle

The Best of Eckhart Tolle

This page is dedicated to the spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle. I have selected my favourite sections from his talks and writings. I hope you will find them as helpful, and often deeply transformational, as I have.

Eckhart Tolle and the Dalai Lama

Eckhart Tolle (left) with the Dalai Lama and Ken Robinson

Quotes by Eckhart Tolle

Here is a selection of my favourite quotes by Eckhart. This also included several longer passages from The Power of Now. 

~ Offer no resistance to the present moment.

 

~ When you accept what is, every moment is the best. That is enlightenment.

 

~ Allow what is and see what happens.

 

~ To complain is always a non-acceptance of what is.

 

~ Wherever you are, be there totally.

 

~ Everything is honoured, but nothing matters.

 

~ All negativity is caused by an accumulation of psychological time and denial of the present. Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry – all forms of fear – are caused by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.

 

~ Don’t demand that situations, conditions, places, or people should make you happy, and then you won’t suffer when they don’t live up to your expectations. 

 

On a deeper level you are already complete, and when you realize that, there will be  playful, joyous energy behind what you do. You will no longer pursue your goals with grim determination, driven by fear, anger, discontent, or the need to become someone. Nor will you remain inactive through fear of failure.

 

~ Do not be concerned with the fruit of your action – just give attention to the action itself. The fruit will come on its own accord (Eckhart’s paraphrase of Karma Yoga from Bhagavad Gita).

 

“One day I’ll make it”. Is your goal taking up so much of your attention that you reduce the present moment to a means to an end? Is it taking the joy out of your doing? Are you waiting to start living? If you develop such a mind pattern, no matter what you achieve or get, the present will never be good enough; the future will always seem better. A perfect recipe for permanent dissatisfaction and nonfulfillment, don’t you agree?

 

 

The Best of Eckhart’s Talks

My favourite passages from Eckhart’s talks in audio/video format. I love his wisdom and sense of humour!

The Power of Being Present

Eckhart Tolle – with his adorable sense of humour – describes how our attention is consumed by compulsive thinking and what this does to our state of consciousness. (Love the part about social media..!) He then explains how to get back from being identified with the voice in our head and our personal story to the present moment – the state of alert awareness, which is profoundly liberating.

Dealing with Difficult People

Eckhart’s perspective on challenging individuals in our lives.

Share Your Thoughts

I’d love to hear your opinion about Eckhart’s Teachings. Just scroll down to the comment section further down, I look forward to reading your views. Also, do check out some of the best works of Eckhart Tolle in the section below.

Enlightened Relationships - Eckhart Tolle
Great Western classics - Eckhart Tolle
The joy of being - Eckhart Tolle
Becoming a teacher of presence - Eckhart Tolle
Transmuting suffering into peace - Eckhart Tolle
Bringing stillness into everyday life - Eckhart Tolle

For even more titles by Eckhart Tolle, including audiobooks and DVDs with his talks and meditations, visit his page on Sounds True, his publisher’s site.

BY LUCIE DUN

This site has been built with DIVI, by Elegant Themes.

RECOMMENDED SECTIONS:

Online courses and webinars
Health and Wellbeing Products
Inspirational Books and Audio

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. This means that if you decide to make a purchase through my links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. (The full Affiliate Disclosure can be read here.) If you’d like to learn more about affiliate marketing, e.g. how to earn extra income from blogging and promoting products you like and would recommend to others, which is what I do, check out Wealthy Affiliate, my favourite platform for online marketers. You can create a free account, which will enable you to make your own website in a few simple steps, and host it with them – free of charge – for as long as you like. You can test it right now by trying their free website builder SiteRubix. Thank you for visiting!

Free starter membership with Wealthy Affiliate

   Let’s keep in touch:

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