Life

Busy summer gave us pick of the crop

Roisin Armstrong takes a look back at two of her high points of 2013 - a summer that confounded all expectations weather-wise and an inspirational summit of health writers

IT'S hard to believe that it's Christmas again already - it seems like it's only been a couple of months since the last time. I'm all for getting a campaign up to make it a biannual event - any supporters out there, send me an email.

I hope that 2013 has been a good year for all of you. It far exceeded everyone's expectations, certainly in terms of the weather. Hard to believe that in March we were looking at certain failure in terms of crops and harvests. Who could have predicted that the unforgettable snow storms would have given way to such a blissful summer of sunshine, heat and full silos, grain stores and vegetable larders?

On our allotment we had the most amazing potato harvest - somewhat surprisingly, as we both got so busy over the summer that the early Charlottes we planted weren't harvested until well past their season. Interestingly, these gorgeous little potatoes, grown as earlies and prized for their waxy and firm textures, were the most delightful, large and flowery potatoes when left in the ground for longer than recommended.

Our brassica crop, however, did not respond quite so well to neglect. I can only reconcile the loss by accepting that the many slugs and snails I have banished from various gardens over the years took their revenge and must have been heartily gratified to eat their way through so many tasty cabbages and sprouting broccoli plants.

But, joy of joys, I did manage to harvest two crops of peas, surely nature's greatest treat (Well, for me, anyway).

One very special treat for me this year was the first ever world summit of the best inspirational writers and speakers from across the globe. It was hosted by Hay House, the publishing company established by Louise Hay in 1984 to publish her own first two books and now recognised as the world's leading body, mind and spirit publisher. Louise's books, Heal Your Body and You can Heal Your Life charts her own remarkable story of recovery from cervical cancer.

This amazing week-long summit gave access to some of the finest contemporary writers being interviewed about their work. It was fascinating and inspirational. It renewed my interest and generated some fantastic conversations with friends and colleagues.

One of my happiest memories of this summer is having a delightful picnic lunch with my cousin Grainne as we relaxed, sunbathed and listened to a lecture by Joe Dispenza, a neuroscientist and doctor of chiropractic, most famous for his role as a teacher and researcher in the excellent film What the Bleep Do We Know!?, a pseudo-documentary that looks at the possibility of parallel universes, the meaning of life and what is really going on around us.

The only problem with listening to such thinkers is that it is so easy then to spend an absolute fortune buying books, DVDs and CDs to find out more. But as a wise man once said: "A little education is easily carried" - I actually don't know of anything I'd rather spend money on.

Of all the writers, my personal favourite is Dr Wayne Dyer. I love what he writes, how he writes and I especially love his voice. I think if

I'm honest I would be delighted to listen to him reading out the listings in the phone book.

For me, his honesty and his complete ability to admit to being a frail human being, like all of us, is captivating. He has struggled, as all of us do with issues, some bigger than others - such as addictions, divorce, the difficulty of raising eight children in an uncertain world, and serious illness Yet his approach is always warm, friendly, forgiving, humorous and supportive. He is the favourite uncle we would all wish for.

So if you haven't yet written your letter to Santa and this kind of thing floats your boat, the internet is such a wonderful tool to access all of these amazing brains.

Even a Luddite like me has hours of satisfaction checking out the best available information.

Many authors are very generous and quite a number of talks are available for free.

Check out www.hayhouse.co.uk to register for next year's summit or see www.hayhouseradio. com where you can access fascinating information.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, safe, peaceful and inspirational Christmas. God Bless all.

n Roisin Armstrong is a kinesiologist and acupuncturist. r.armstrong @irishnews.com