maple syrup!

It's been so long since I posted anything I thought I better do it just to make sure I still remember how. I'm excited about making maple syrup. We have an old oil tank we removed from a friend's place who got a newer model, that we use for our large surface area wood-stove, so we can do a few trays at once.

It's not the most beautiful set-up I've ever seen but it works fine! I've already got a few jars and we've had some ideal maple-sap weather: cold nights and warm days so more to come!

Healing for your Body and Soul with Mariel Camilleri

Here are the contents of my new brochure, which I had printed up this week to hand out at my local Inglewood Farmer's market, where I give chair massage therapy for $1/minute every Wednesday afternoon. I already have attracted several new wonderful clients to come see me for a full treatment at Serendipity. Even better, a few of those people have also referred new clients to me! I am so grateful for those people who rave to others about the great healing work I do for them.

Massage Therapy and
Lifestyle Coaching with
Mariel Camilleri
Serendipity Retreat
& Healing Centre
905-838-5838

Do you suffer
from any of these
stress symptoms?

• Tension headaches or migraines
• Cardiovascular disorders
• Allergies, sinus problems
• Back pain, sciatica
• Insomnia, sleep disorders
• Constipation, digestive problems
• Aching neck and shoulders
• Foot pain, tight legs and hips
• Poor circulation, cold extremities
• Arthritis, chronic joint pain
• Tight chest, shortness of breath
• Feeling irritable, frustrated, restless
• Negative self-talk; negative thoughts
• Feelings of anxiety; impending doom
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• Decreased productivity

Massage therapy can also help you heal faster from a wide range of sports injuries, accidents, and chronic aches and pains.

We can work together to treat your symptoms. If you choose to, we can also address the underlying causes of stress in your life.

Massage therapy and Lifestyle Coaching with Mariel Camilleri can help you!

• Reduce your stress symptoms.
• Treat a wide range of physical ailments and emotional difficulties.
• Help you sleep better and wake up feeling more refreshed and enthused.
• Give you a greater sense of well being and vitality.
• Help you clarify your priorities, so you focus your life energy on what is most important to you.
• Support you in creating a more fulfilling and satisfying life.

Serendipity Healing Prices:
30 minutes massage: $50
45 minutes massage: $65
60 minutes massage: $80
75 minutes massage: $95
90 minutes massage: $110

Hot Stone massage therapy:
Add $15 to above time prices

Herbal foot cleanse (with massage)
Add $10 to above time prices

Thai-style yoga massage: $150
(2 hours, includes soothing herbal foot soak. Wear loose light clothing)

Herbal body wraps (includes full body massage) cleansing clays, Dead Sea salts, purifying botanicals, natural essential oils and organic herbs 2 hours $190

Personal Life coaching $80/hour
Couples coaching $120/hour
Corporate coaching $150/hour

All services are subject to HST (currently 13%)

About Mariel Camilleri, BSc RMT MSA

Mariel Camilleri has practiced as a Registered Massage Therapist since 1981. She believes in and lives the philosophy of continuous self-improvement and has studied many other body-mind modalities to develop her own unique approach to health and wellness.

Mariel can treat your symptoms of stress, and also help you address the underlying causes of your stress: unfulfilling career, being unclear on your goals, not managing your time well to achieve important priorities, not communicating effectively with important others in your life. Making different life choices may be your best route to reducing stress. You can achieve a new perspective on your life. You will gain more clarity in our beautiful relaxing ambiance!

In addition to traditional massage therapy, Mariel utilizes: Thai-style yoga massage, postural integration (deep tissue) bodywork, Reiki, reflexology, Gestalt therapy, Hakomi body-centered psychotherapy, cathartic breath-work, and many goal-setting and visualization techniques to enable you to think and thus act more effectively, to create the life you want.

Mariel completed her Bachelor of Science (’82) at U of Toronto, and her Masters degree (’96) in organization development and personnel psychology at Central Michigan U. She has taught time and priority management as well as goal-setting techniques for individuals and businesses. She can help you to determine what actions you need to take, to create better results both at work and at home.

Serendipity Healing Retreats

Mariel practices from Serendipity Farm in Caledon, a beautiful 23-acre homestead, where she and her partner keep laying hens and other animals, and grow organic food. They offer B&B and residential retreat experiences, with healthy home-cooked meals, for individuals, couples, and small groups who want to have a nature experience in the country, close to the city. Serendipity has a therapeutic Far Infrared sauna, art supplies, an extensive library, forested walking trails on site and nearby, and a relaxing space for you to connect with yourself.

To book your appointment or stay, please call Mariel at 905-838-5838 or email www.marielcamilleri.com

My New logo for Serendipity Healing Centre

When I moved on from Mysthaven, I needed a new logo for my new space. I considered using my old APEX logo but decided that came from my days of trying to look "corporate" which is not who I really am. Instead I went back to a logo done for me by artist Allan McLay back in 1984. That was before I incorporated APEX, when I described my work as BodyMind Integration. It still speaks to me about who I am and what I do with people better than anything else. The original art was adapted for a new look on my web site Marielcamilleri.com and now I am finally getting around to creating a brochure to promote myself and my personal services, something I have not done for almost 15 years!

Savory zucchini pudding cake

This is the time of year when most vegetable gardeners have (giant, if you don't catch them in time) zucchini coming out the yin yang ... last week I did a sweet zucchini cake ... it was apparently a success since my partner managed to consume most of it in one day! So today's experiment is to create something savory that makes a nice appetizer using one of the giant zucchini we did not pick while it was young. My partner likes the pudding cake consistency, so I opted to use a higher proportion of zucchini to flour than what I found in other people's recipes, and balanced that by adding oats to absorb the extra liquid. Here's what I did.

Let this mixture sit for an hour or so, to let the oats absorb liquid:
5 cups zucchini, shredded
2 cups large flake oats
1 minced, sauteéd onion and 4 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
1 Teaspoon salt
1.5 cups olive oil
2/3 cup shredded old cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped dried tomatoes (I still had some I dehydrated from last year's tomato crop)

in a separate bowl, mix:
3 cups flour (I used organic spelt)
3 Teaspoons baking powder (or half soda and half powder but I was out of baking soda)

6 eggs, beaten

Fold eggs into flour, then fold in zucchini mix.

Pour mixture into baking dishes (I used two 9"x12" Corningware cake pans) that have been greased and floured. Actually, I use olive oil and cornmeal for an extra texture sensation. Bake for about an hour at 350º ... when fork comes out clean it is done.

more Serendipity photos

Innovative building techniques using straw bale construction to transform a grain silo into a 3-bedroom retreat space with an art studio workshop downstairs. Designed and built by Peer Haagensen and recently given the stamp of approval by the Town and a structural engineer.

summertime, and the living is easy...

My darling Peer,
enjoying the view
of our garden from the porch.

Enjoying summertime outdoors...