If you were born between October 24th and November 22nd you will be a Scorpio, symbolised by The Scorpion. ‚   Scorpio is the eighth astrological sign of the Zodiac, originating from the Constellation of Scorpius. ‚   A Scorpio has ‚  “fixed” qualities, and is a “water” sign. ‚   No other sign has the emotional strength of a Scorpio. ‚   The general personality traits of a typical Scorpio are:

• Powerful
• Inquisitive
• Passionate
• Persistent
• Captivating
• Loving
• Sympathetic
• Jealous
• Suspicious
• Secretive

I’m a proud gardener this week, as after a year-long wait, the Passion Flower I planted and have trained to climb over some willow trellis has finally bloomed. ‚   The Passion Flower was a gift to my husband and I when we first moved into our home, as the back garden was no more than some very weedy grass and a few scrawly and overgrown shrubs.

This week has been particularly chilly, with some cold winds hitting us from the north and so it’s a surprise to see the Passion Flower still holding out to bloom in south-west Scotland.

Wouldn’t these wonderful blooms look stunning as ‚  decoration on tables, you could:

1. Float the flower ‚  heads ‚  in a bowl of water as a table centre piece
2. Dot single heads around the table
3. Place a single flower on each table setting or napkin

The name Passion Flower does not refer to love as you might expect, but it is actually named after the ‚  Christian theological icon of the passion of Christ on the cross. ‚   In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish Christian missionaries discovered this flower and adopted its unique physical structures, particularly the numbers of its various parts, as symbols of the last days of Jesus Christ.

Like me, you probably know your own Western ‚  Zodiac Birth Sign very well, mine is Pisces, but how quick can you recall all twelve birth signs, and in addition to that, do you know all twelve Chinese ‚  signs.

The Zodiac ‚  is an annual cycle of ‚  twelve ‚  points along ‚  the path of the sun through the star constellations, that divide the path into twelve equal zones. ‚   I won’t try to explain the origins ‚  any further, as Astrology alone ‚  is a complex subject. ‚   In my teens I nearly chose it as a degree subject at university!

Depending upon ‚  your date of birth, you will have a Zodiac Birth Sign. ‚   It is believed that individuals born under one of the twelve signs, will exhibit certain similar character traits to that sign.

Over the coming months I will provide ‚  more details on each of the Western Zodiac Birth Signs, starting with Scorpio (October 24th to November 22nd).

Last week I attended ‚  an Ayrshire Association of Business Women (AABW) evening and the guest speaker was Andrea Gardner, who is experienced in empowering women to lead more balanced and fulfilled lives. ‚   Andrea lives and works at the Blair ‚  Estate near Dalry.

Based on the ‚  philosophy of Louise Hay, Andrea runs a number of workshops and courses ‚  for those wishing to improve their lives, be it their: career; health; or ‚  relationships. ‚   With tools such as meditation, visualisation and ‚  positive affirmations, Andrea works with you to ‚  identify and transform any beliefs that are sabotaging your sense of well-being.

I’m not a true believer, in that I don’t ‚  feel ‚  that “we” can control and cure ‚  the diseases “we” contract ‚  using this philosophy, for instance ‚  those suffering from cancer inherited through a family member, but Andrea’s talk did provide me with a sense of calming and I’ve no doubt that ‚  her workshops and courses would be a relaxing experience.

Affirmation is a declaration that something is true, for example “I love spending my time creating special and unique occasions for my clients”.

Tomorrow, Tuesday 21st October, is the re-start of the ‚  Ayrshire Association of Business Women (AABW) programme following the Summer break.

Guests can go along to the networking evening at the Barcel ƒ ³ ‚  Troon Marine Hotel which commences at 630pm for pre-dinner drinks, followed by a two-course meal and this month’s speaker is Andrea Gardner who is a clinical hypnotherapist and will be ‚  speaking on how to “Heal Your Life”.

Those attending the evening will get a chance to see the new look AABW website before it is published live on the internet. ‚   Each member of the AABW, including myself, ‚  has submitted a business biography of their business so that the new website can showcase their members and businesses.

Today I spent the afternoon in Hobbycraft on the east side of Glasgow to shop for a number of art and craft materials, as I am designing a couple of Wedding ‚  Mood-boards. ‚   There is unfortunately only one store in Scotland, but it really is worth a visit as you can gain so much inspiration from just seeing the wide variety of products on offer.

So if you fancy hand making cards, favours, gift boxes and such then do pop along. ‚   The store can be found in the Glasgow Fort Shopping Park just ‚  by Junction 10 off the M8.

Happy crafting!