I’m in Bali and I’ve found the person who will be my driver for my 2 week stay. The first trip is to a local shopping mall. As he skillfully navigates the insane traffic with an air of quiet and calm he is warm and friendly without being too familiar….

As many Viva 70 readers will know my mind has been rattling around the idea of how to do something useful in the area of climate activism when the last time I was politically active was in 1970’s around the Vietnam War! So apart from becoming a more diligent recycler,…

I’m winding along country roads to find the home of Terry and Jill Williams. Cows grazing, rolling hills, a tiny old brick church, now a private home. Google tells me to keep going. So I do. Driving past rural properties with their never to be understood exotic numbering system. House…

There are so many stories and words that speak loudly in these crazy times so let me share some of what I’ve seen and heard this week.  One My amazing cousin took part in the World’s Greatest Shave 2020 to raise money for families impacted by blood cancer. Here’s what…

Upfront I need to declare that I have a special interest in this series. My son is an executive producer for this TV drama and I am a loud, proud mum. Over the months I’ve seen my son’s passion and hard work in bringing this story to screen. It’s a…

Have you heard of Sou Fujimoto? I remember his name from a visit to the temporary Serpentine pavilion in London when I visited the gallery there in Hyde Park. Like a spider’s web this beautiful building makes you gasp at the imagination and technical skill displayed. The main image shows…

Let’s travel in our memories and our minds as we read another lovely story from our dear friend and author, Graeme Leith. Graeme was a frequent traveler to Bali like many of us over the years. As I read this story I can smell the kretek cigarettes and see the…

My Mother (who you are getting to know quite well by now….) was not a good cook.  The key goal of her cooking was to provide food that would make the family feel full ie not hungry. If we ate for an army of 500 and clutched our stomachs because…

This issue of Viva 70 looks at our different responses to the upheavals caused by the Corona virus. We’re blessed to have been gifted this lovely piece from Inge who lives in Nova Scotia, Canada and she was in the US earlier this year. She echoes the words so many…

In the new world we live in where we have little control over events and outcomes and the lens on our older selves is shifting. Older people are described as vulnerable, at risk and need isolating for the protection of themselves and others.  While all this is true  and appropriate…

The Back-Drop Let’s stop for a moment and take stock. Worldwide people are sick and dying and our countries have adopted a fortress mentality for self protection. We’re building our walls, isolating ourselves from our families and staying well is the primary goal. All around us people are losing their…

Julia Richards, a medicinal herbalist living in Yorkshire, UK is a regular contributor to Viva 70 and a dear friend. Last week she helped us learn about the benefits of red clover and this week Julia sent through a very timely article about supporting your immune system especially during the…