The Healing Retreat

The Story

I bought the house in August of 2006 with my share of the family inheritance from my mother. My dad died when he was only 42 and my mum was left to bring up us four young children on her own. It was a struggle for her … for all of us … navigating life and loss in the 60’s. She was a strong little woman with a big strong heart and a sharp intellect. She retrained as a teacher in her forties and went on to have a very successful career … many people have thrived on the legacy she left them through her commitment to excellence and high standards. It was not a huge inheritance but it was important to me that it went into something that would grow and continue her legacy. I had got to know the pueblo over the years of living and working in Andalucia and when this little house came up for sale, I felt in my bones that it would be mine. And it became so. My plan was to create a healing retreat. The house needed renovating but I was in no hurry and I was happy to jaunt up to the mountains at weekends, accompanied by my dogs and cats, and enjoy the gentle life in the campo and my little rustic abode. I taught yoga at a local hotel and offered personal development workshops and courses …… not to mention riding my horse all over this beautiful area. It was a joyous time. I applied for planning permission and a remortgage to carry out the renovation work. This began to go ahead, in Spanish Manana time, but when it dragged on for a year, I learned that an order had been put on the house declaring it a listed building. It was apparently an authentic Andalus building and so all plans were halted. Lots of paperwork followed but everything went on hold and another two years passed before the permission to go ahead was granted. Back to the drawing board. Meanwhile my small grandson in London had been diagnosed with autism and I knew that I must go and spend some time with my family helping them adjust to this life changing information. It took a lot of planning and farming out of animals, and finding work. In December 2012 I arrived in London for three months which grew into almost three years. I returned to the pueblo in 2015 with money in the bank to get going again with The Healing Retreat and with lots of energy and optimism. However, within a couple of months I was in hospital and dealing with a large malignant polyp. Healing from cancer is a lifetime journey. Most people crumple and lose faith in their strength and power. And cancer loves this – thrives on it. In healing from cancer, I felt a powerful call to share my experience with others and help them step back into their strength … their inner power …. embrace the dark and experience their own healing. I vowed that when I was strong enough, I would find a way of doing this, and my little mountain home, where my healing took place, would finally become The Healing Retreat.