7 week plan

Hallo hello. Welcome. Hi. Bonjorno! I am Kirsty Almeida and you are you.

Well, here I am am. Its spring. Really? You say? Yup, I say. Yup it is. The jasmine in the garden is through so it's Spring. Goodness.

So, what have I been doing with my time? Well, we here at Crazy fm which would be myself and I and of course the higher me and the pain body me and all the other me's too have been busy.

We've all been a little obsessed with Eckhart Tolle so I firmly, wearing spectacles, a suit, holding a cane suggest you get yourself onto iTunes and download the audio book The Power of Now and get listening - chapter a day. You can listen to some stuff for free too on spotify. Swear it'll change your life!

At All Made UP (my record label and Publishing shed) we have been really busy. We have a 7 week plan culminating in the release of Cool Down Rewind with a very very special and unbelievably creative remix built and shaped with musical hammers, drills and sonic nuts and bolts by one of our very own. The release of this single is the end of a year's plan that we made when I left Decca which started with starting our own label and then releasing three singles from the album as handmade singles which I will photograph for you later and I will keep you involved along the 7 week way so you can see which bits were worth it, which a waste of time and which parts led to the incredible success just round the corner (positivity book shelf).

Each week I have a long list of things to get through and the lists culminate in 'Cool Down Rewind' release on April fools day. Also, Pure Blue Green will be re-released as 'DejaVoodu' on our label, All Made Up on April the 8th (full moon) and has had a few mixes opened up and shined from the inside out, new track listing and some sparkly artwork tweaks. The album will be what I originally wanted it to be called and to sound like. Very exciting. Of course we begin 6 degrees to Jools Holland now too - as soon as I receive the photos from all participants.

I have begun painting ballgowns and am loving my time designing each bespoke piece- wait till ya see! Ok, I shall write to you often for a few weeks so you can see what you do to release a single when you're me. If you have any questions please always ask them as it helps me too.

We have lots of wonderful creatives sharing their time and talent to help us at the moment too so will introduce them as we go along on The Cool Down Rewind Path.

I wish you well.

Snow Go for Jools Holland Antarctic

Got this back from the antarctic - back to the drawing board - anyone know anyone else out there?

www.6degrees2jools.com

Dear Kirsty,

Thank you for your email and for your interest in British Antarctic Survey.

That's a great idea, but I'm afraid we can't help you with this request. As you can imagine, it's a very busy time period for us at the moment in Antarctica and we get numerous similar requests.

I hope your experiment will work through other people.

Kind regards,

www.6degrees2jools.com

6 degrees from the Antarctic to Jools Holland

So it begins - the 6 degrees 2 Jools Holland preparation. (http://www.6degrees2jools.com). We have decided to try for 6 continents. Matt likes the idea of us including Antarctica so I broke my Facebook vow and asked for Antarctic contacts. One of my favourite Facebook buddies gave us a point in the British Antarctic Survey so here is my plea to them...

Aunty Bella

Aunty Bella

(by Tom Davies & Kirsty Almeida)

'Letter written to Kirsty's little brother Vic and little Sister Rachel from Aunty Bella'

My dere little chicks,

This is your Auntie Bella here, please excuse the poor quality of my writing but your sister Kirsty has been teaching me to use the computer and I find it all a bit c%$mPffjHxK.

I thought I’d write and tell about my life over here in England and, in particular, my adventures last Sezzanday (the day after Monday but before the start of the week). A most unusual day I’m sure you’ll agree and it is rare that I get through a Sezzanday without at least one adventure.

As you may know, I consider breakfast the most important meal of the week and always insist on a huge feast before I’ve even got out of bed and dressed. On this particular Sezzanday, however, I had risen early to polish my collection of rare apples and had cooked a splendid and nourishing meal of hot dogs, curry and, of course, melted chocolate. After polishing off this delicious brunch, I decided it was time to take my morning constitutional. A constitutional, as I’m sure you know, is a kind of walk that adults must take to stop their legs from exploding.

(To be Continued. Obviously, unless you can end a story with... 'a constitutional, as I’m sure you know, is a kind of walk that adults must take to stop their legs from exploding.' Maybe you can?)

Maybe I can.

Till tomorrow.

Crazy Fm: earthlingalings - the final blog

Crazy Fm: earthlingalings - the final blog: So, I finished the week's detox and on the last morning felt really apprehensive about coming back. I had absolutely no idea what it would b...

earthlingalings - the final blog

For info on the detox retreat click here please

So, I finished the week's detox and on the last morning felt really apprehensive about coming back. I had absolutely no idea what it would be like. I looked around at the bubble I'd been in and said my goodbyes - and it really was a bubble. You spend all that time just drinking juices and breathing and urging memories to float to the top and teasing emotions to the front. You are in such a safe environment and encouraged to stop thinking and start paying REAL attention to how you feel every moment and of course I had been doing my own learning too when I had spare time. I feasted on Alchemy Past & Present (The Royal Art of Transformation) and Eckhart Tolle's Findhorn Retreat. I spent a lot of my time really trying to bring myself to the present to truly notice and feel what's happening at every moment.

I jumped in the car with one of the girls heading for Manchester and the journey took us all along the Welsh coastline which was stunning and then 3 hours right through the middle of autumn. Beautiful and a perfect, perfect finish.

Once your body has fasted for 6 days you have to be very careful introducing solids which if I'm honest in the past I've paid no attention to when I've done short detoxes but this time something has changed. I actually have no interest whatsoever in a glass of wine or a beer, or foods that aren't good for me. Somehow I've found a deep respect for all the organs in my body and that's a new thing for me. All in just one week.

I have to slowly introduce foods back into my everyday and be gentle with my body and myself which is usually a difficult thing but something feels so good deep inside now and I don't want it to go away so I feel quite happy to go along slowly. I wake up every morning really early and I'm straight out of bed and bright eyed and bushy tailed! That hasn't happened since I was a kid. I feel relaxed. I don't feel sluggish or tired. All the things I was feeling before have cleared.

I tell you what - it was mad to walk around the city centre the afternoon I got back - everyone seemed so stressed and busy. The lines on peoples faces seemed to give me a window into their everyday. I watched for a while and it felt like I'd been given a brand new pair of seeing glasses! The world looked so different. I have to say too, as I walked around so many people seemed to take a second look at me or turn round to watch me pass. I think I must've had a big smile on my face.

It didn't last though as quite quickly my life came back in and my phone started ringing and emails flowed and work piled and it's taking me time to figure out how to use the new tools I have been given on the retreat but it is working slowly and I'll get there. Its so difficult to remember that we are each in charge of making ourselves feel good. I often expect treatment from others to make me feel good and now I'm starting to work out how that works. Its my job to feel good and if someone else's behaviour stresses me out its up to me to not be affected by it and if I am, to walk away and not be offended by it but to look after myself. I certainly don't need to flare up which is what I'm used to doing! I'm learning. I won't ever go back to how stressed I was before I went in.

Best part is my voice feels like a brand new instrument and is able to do things I couldn't before even before warming up.

So, another life changing experience for me and I'm sure for everyone who was there.

Thanks for reading - its been lovely to know that someone is there. My EP is here if you haven't got it yet. Till the next Crazy Fm reason... Crazy Fm - not in the morning - in yer mind. x

emotional detox - Day 5

For info on the detox retreat click here please

I woke up numb. More numb than I have felt for a long time. I had no interest in outside, opening the window, showering, swimming or the morning meditation. I checked my emails which just depressed me and I lay down and stared at my computer screen. I felt nothing but deep sadness. Then it changed. Anxiety joined in. So, I lay down in my beautiful little wood burning cottage whilst anxiety and sadness had a party in my head and heart. I got up and managed to get myself over to the meeting house. I did none of the things I should before meditation. I told noone how I felt and looked noone in the eye. I took a blanket and sat down and shut my eyes. Panic and sadness and now anger and bitterness were all staring at me. I opened my eyes. I stared at the hills. Then the group meditation began. Just the breathing alone helped. Then my mind calmed. Then meditation was over and it was juice time. I am a day behind everyone as I went to a beautiful funeral on friday so today everyone has been feeling ready to get out of here whilst I was wondering if they might give me a job as a cleaner or something so I would never have to go back and face reality.

I drank my juice and sat listening to the others - so many breakthroughs and life changing moments and wonderful realisations and I felt nothing but dread, worry and deflation. They were all very excited about breaking the fast and tasting food and the thought made me feel awful.

I did my final colonic for the week and epsom salt scrub and headed over to the farmhouse for our raw food feast. Now, I have to say when I walked in the farmhouse I was greeted by the most beautiful banquet I have ever seen! Long table for us all to sit around and bear in mind I hadn't seen or eaten a solid food now for 6 days - WOW. It was stunning. I wish I'd taken photos for you. Raw foods had been sculpted, shaped and magicked into love hearts, sprinkles, beautifully presented gourmet looking dishes.

We all sat to eat and toasted our water to the chef and began. I have to say I have never in my life tasted things as they tasted today. Because my tongue has healed and cleared and is healthy and my tastebuds detoxed every thing I tasted I felt its flavours. Just wonderful. I ate mindfully as I was a wee bit scared of feeling any more ill than I felt and I didn't each much at all. I just enjoyed all the flavours as they took me over.

I left the table early as everyone else was hatty and excited and I still numb and went off to read a book outside.

I stared at the donkeys and along came one of the therapists. We discussed the pains I had in my Pancreas and how I felt down and nauseous and when I said anxious she looked very happy and said 'Ah -so yesterday you had finished the physical detox - now you begin the emotional one.' Great...

She talked of how the pancreas pain can emotionally have a lot to do with not shining your light or as in my case being too much on a mission - storing emotions there to be dealt with 'someday'. I thanked her and said I'd have a think. This lovely and extremely insightful lady said that she knew I had been asked to sing during the evening and that I should only do it if I felt it felt good to do. I told her that that part was fine and I would just do it. Then she made me see something. I always do that. I always say yes to the mission my crazy mission even if I don't want to!

I then cried, wailed, sobbed, held by belly and dribbled like a toddler. Then, got up and went back to my cottage. another therapist turned up with tissues and a blanket and offered to 'drop me right in the middle of the emotions I was feeling and said she could help. She then guided me through what I can only say is like a replacement for going out on a bender to deal with yourself but a million times better! After, she left and I felt wonderful.

I then went for a lovely walk through autumn with my cottage mate who is also an artist and we walked really slowly to enjoy the sounds and everything around us.

We then all had soup - WOW! And a tiny piece of homemade cake with nothing but goodness in it and let me tell you people when you have detoxed this much and gone through this kind of thing cake made out of dates and nuts and rasberries etc tasted INCREDIBLE!

I then sang a few songs and although I nearly crumbled in the first one from real adrenaline and nerves it was lovely and they were such a lovely and attentive gentle and child like audience. They oooooh-ed and aaahhhh-ed and picked out lyrics and chose their favourite and we all hypnotised ourselves with music.

Then a few of us ran outside to the beautiful full moon and jumped in the outdoor hot tub and enjoyed the moon, the view and inner calm. We all talked about how the 11th of the 11th of 2011 is meant to mean brand new beginnings. Sauna after that. Lovely. They all left after that back to their cottages and I stood in my bikini in the cold night (feeling warm and lovely!) and asked the moon to grant me some wishes and I prayed. Bed. xxxxxx