It’s been an interesting and frustrating few months in which I’ve moved home twice. The house in which I’d lived for 12 years was sold and I had to move and get rid of 12 years accumulations. I was only in my new place two months and had to move on again finally ending up in a new place in the country although only 10 km from the East Coast Bays. With internet access down for several days with both moves it has been frustrating at times but now everything is up and working and its a pleasure to wake in the morning to se the mist lift over the lake and the Pukeko squabbling amongst each other as they usher in the day.

Lovely Lisa has agreed to keep an eye on the facebook page and will keep it up to date, so if you have any questions ask her and she will pass on to me those she can’t answer.

With the long hot summer we’re experiencing sunscreen is an absolute must, we have plenty of the Oasis natural sunscreen in stock, both in the 60ml bottle and 250ml tube. Its SPF30+ and in used by climbers on Mt Everest so it is good. We also have Rhino Repair for rejuvenating your skin that may be suffering from the extended great weather. There is also a great selection of Tui Balms for soothing arts of the body that may have been over extended in the hot weather. Have a look through the website and see what you like or need.

Finally if you’re on tank water like me, you’ll be watching the car get grubbier by the day. Around this neck of the woods, finding a rain cloud has the same odds of winning lotto as the weather doesn’t look like changing anytime in the near future.

Stay cool and stay safe.

Ross

Scammers are improving from the old days of the Nigerian scammers promising you millions of dollars for helping them extradite money from accounts of people conveniently killed in car accidents or by insurrections. I must have turned down millions by not taking advantage of of the lotteries I won by not even buying a ticket. And there’s the employment opportunities where all you have to to do is bank some cheques for an overseas company and take a percentage for your troubles. Great idea until you get a visit from the FBI or Interpol and are charged with money laundering.

However there is a new one coming out of China which on first reading seems plausible. A “so called” domain name registration company tells you that there is a company in China that wants to register your domain name with a China or Asia suffix and they are giving you first opportunity to take advantage by registering ahead of them. As my domain name “Red Rata” is quintessentially New Zealand, I was puzzled until I did a Google search of the company wanting to register my domain and found it was part of a worldwide scam which even if they only got a couple of hundred dollars from each person fooled it could mount up to a tidy sum. Some of these scammers have a short memory as after being told what to do with their offer, it is repeated a couple of weeks later.

Finally we have those local triers, who claim to be using your name long before you registered it. However as they never registered the name, this is where they fall down especially when the name has been registered for several years. A good reason for going through the legal formalities, you have the rights and they don’t have a leg to stand on.

Hope the summer gets better.

Ross

Unfortunately the gremlins struck just before Christmas of course and the website went off line for a couple of days. Not sure what exactly caused it but believe it was something to do with an upgrade that threw the website into maintenance mode. We think is is now sorted but may have to take it offline in the New Year for a short time to add another upgrade. My thanks to Jon for getting it back up again and apologies to those who were inconvenienced.

Ross

Well it’s been an interesting couple of months since taking over from Susan which went off without a hitch.

I’ve spent that time  sorting out a few background details,  familiarising myself with the website, working out some of the payment processes and getting generally acquainted with how it all works.

There are a couple of additions to what is stocked with Herb Farm providing the Travel Essentials Pack and the  Ultimate Travel Pack for those people on the go who don’t want to take massive amounts of stuff when they travel. Also Oasis is now producing the family size sunscreen in a tube.

Mother-well have now stopped producing their baby products to concentrate on the holistic side of their business so there will be no more Tiny Tangerine or Bubble Bee Baby Soap. I have 1 only Tiny Tangerine left and 3 Bubble Bee soaps. Once they are gone there will be no more. So be in quick if you want them.

In the changeover there have been a couple of delays in getting product out for which I apologise. I do not intend it to happen again if I can avoid it.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a fabulous 2012.

Slainte,  Ross

Two natural essentials for spring!

Earthwise Multi-Surface Cleaning Spray is ideal for cleaning every surface, full of goodies and avoids those awful choking chemicals so no need to cough as you clean.

And for those of you who get Hayfever, have you tried the amazing Botanica Hayfever Gel. This is the best, I find I need to take way less anti-histamines when I use this. You rub a small amount of the gel inside your nose and it stops all that itchiness, running nose and sneezing. A small tube that is easy to keep in your pocket all hayfever season, don’t be wihtout this.

Enjoy spring, no need to spend all your time cleaning or sneezing. Try these two super natural essentials and you will be smelling the daffidols every day.

Get in quick while our glorious Herb Farm Rose Face Cream is on special, 20% off, usually $24.50, only $20 for 60gms of luciousness for your face.

The Vanilla Seasalt Exfoliant goes superb with this, to gently cleanse your skin before applying the moisturiser. So lets get 15% off this wonderful jar as well. Get one, or both while this special lasts. Visit FACE to find out more and make your order.

We all tell our dads how much we love them, every day of the year right? But its nice to give them something special on Father’s Day, something they usually wouldn’t buy for themselves. Father’s Day here in New Zealand is 11 days away, Sunday 4th Spetember. And don’t forget those wonderful dads of children who are too young to own a credit card yet, mum’s, this idea will treat their awesome daddy too.

A gorgeous Red Rata Pamper Pack for him. Natural ingredients, New Zealand made. Goodies to care for his face, his underarms, lips and whole body. Mum will love the attention their body is getting!!

This special gift pack is all wrapped up and ready to go for only $55. If you tell us where your dad is we can post it direct to him with a little gift card included for free. Send us an email with what you would like written in it and we can take care of everything.

Order your Pamper Pack for Him soon though so it can be with dad by the 4th.

Thanks dad for everything, love you xx

I just love hearing from you, and especially when you are happy with your buys. Here is one happy lady who bought the Just Herbal Rich Rejuvenation Face Cream.

“Thank you I received your products. I like the face cream very much and so nice to know it is natural.”

Absolutely, at least we know what are in these products and we can read and understand the label. And I am so pleased she likes it as I do too.

Mulled wine is perfect for these cold winter evenings. Easy to make and even easier if you pop in the slow cooker for a couple of hours. Superb as your second glass is still hot! You need a bottle of red wine, 2 cinnamon sticks, 20 whole cloves and about half cup sugar. Heat slowly but avoid boiling as you would not want to lose the alcohol. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Just Herbal’s Rich Vitamin Rejuvenation face cream is the ideal day/night face moisturiser with no chemical ingredients. Just the essentials of wonderful naturally occuring plant based ingredients to nourish, enrich and rejuvenate your skin.

Are you bored with your face cream, or its not doing the trick? Here is one that will fix all that. At Red Rata I have been enjoying some product testing with the help of some happy friends to assist. And we have found Just Herbal, a fantastic New Zealand natural skincare company based in Whakatane, dedicated to making products with pure, natural, sustainable, and organic if possible, ingredients.

Find out more here about Just Herbal’s Rich Vitamin Rejuvenation Face Moisturiser here.