MAINTENANCE MONTH

This August  the Family Law Department wants to help parents by assisting them with completing the following maintenance applications:

-  We can assist with the preparation and completion of the necessary documents for an application to enforce an existing Maintenance Order (which includes a Divorce Order).

-  In the event that someone is no longer able to afford their maintenance contributions or the maintenance that they receive is not sufficient, we can assist with the preparation and completion of the necessary documents to bring an application for the variation or discharge of an existing Maintenance Order. 

-  For parents who do not currently have an existing Maintenance Order in place, we can assist with the preparation and completion of the necessary documents to apply for a Maintenance Order in respect of dependent children. 

Over and above the preparation of the necessary paperwork, we will provide clients with advice as to which court the completed application must be submitted to, as well as an explanation of what to expect before, during and after the matter will be heard in court.

This service is going to be available at the fixed fee of R2 000 plus VAT, for the duration of August 2020. 

Should you or someone you know need assistance with any of the above maintenance matters, send an email to RobynS@stbb.co.za so as not to miss out on this opportunity to ensure those in need are taken care of.

STBB Claremont



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AMBIENTE UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

Surika is back at Ambiente from the month of August. She worked at Ambiente as a therapist for more than three years. She will be managing and performing treatments.

Surika managed upmarket Spa's in the country since she left Ambiente a few years ago. Her knowledge of the beauty and wellness industry expanded. She is moving from Gauteng to join Ambiente.

"I am pleased to be back"

Surika Arense is a registered specialist with multiple qualifications in the experience of living beautifully. Her commitment to her clients’ aspirations is watertight. The thorough consultations she offers in First Avenue, Harfield Village are beyond compare. Lattice shutters on the French windows and subdued lighting provide an insulating signature to her selection of treatments, adding an understated sequel to this historically colourful suburb. Hers is a timeless sanctuary which lends itself to hidden truths from far away. The complement of well devised treatments she has created, aim to give one a sense of purity from within. Heavy set white drapes adorn the passages and mildly heated layers of towels reward the body as a prologue to serenity. Surika’s focus is swift and she uses a range of the most reputable dermatalogically tested and natural based applications.

“Beauty is nature’s way of recognising internal harmony and beauty loyally supports this harmony too’’, says Surika.

The setting invites clients to open up the spaces around them and every aspect is positioned to be highly relaxing. A wide scope of views surrounding beauty influences Surika’s highly relaxing therapy.

Surika’s is also accomplished in the dance form ‘Raks Sharki’. It is also popularly known as ‘belly dancing’ where the shimmy dance involves elaborate celebrations of the feminine form. Ms Arendse has appeared in people’s theatres in Egypt, Turkey and India, has choreographed dance shows for two of Cape Town’s ritzy bohemian night spots, unique to this city.  She is now also a sought after dance trainer.

Her approach is embodied by an interest in contemporary clinical developments in the cosmetic arena as well as knowledge of ancient aesthetic practices. The Allied Health Profession Council awarded her with Therapeutic Aromatherapy. Surika blends oils and believes in the benefits of preparations of naturally occurring cosmetic substances such as the Frankincense plant and beeswax.

Impressions of Nefertiti, the Egyptian Queen famed for her loveliness, inspire Surika’s extraordinary originality at her Cape Town practice.

Her connections to a range of influences spanning centuries, is graciously aligned to her clients ambitions to live in a beautiful way.

Ambiente Skin & Body

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AUGUST IN THE GARDEN

It's hard to believe it's August already! The months of lockdown in various stages have made time feel like it's blurring, haven't they?

Watching the seasons offers a more natural rhythm to time. The rain, wind and sun come and go, and the temperatures rise and drop. 

We've been able to celebrate wonderful rain this Winter, and here's hoping there's more in store over the coming months. It's such a relief to know that our dams and tanks are in better shape than a few years ago. 

For those keen on planting, the plant list expands as things slowly start warming up.

Here's the plant list:

Basil, Broad Beans, Beetroot, Butternut, Cape Gooseberry, Cauliflower, Carrots, Chard/Spinach, Celery, Chives, Chilli Pepper, Cucumber, Eggplant, Kale, Kohlrabi, Globe Artichokes, Leek, Leaf Mustard, Lettuce, Onion, Parsley, Parsnip, Peas, Potato, Pumpkin, Radish, Rhubarb, Sweetcorn, Sweet Pepper, Turnip, Tomato, Watercress, Watermelon

Happy growing!

Patchwork Group
Gabriella Garnett
076 2199 849 | gabriella.garnett@gmail.com

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STEAM SAUNA OZONE THERAPY

Feeling a little lock down overload?

Steam Sauna Ozone therapy is one of the best known ways to rejuvenate our bodies using oxygen to assist elimination and detoxification.

Some other benefits include strengthening the immune system, stimulating white blood cells, preventing infections and immune deficiencies by destroying fungi, bacteria, candida and viruses.

The humidity of the steam sauna creates a perfect environment to open your pores, helping your body absorb the ozone which carries oxygen to your cells. This assists toxin elimination by pushing free radicals and toxins out through sweating.

Your bodies natural way of elimination involves your lymph, kidneys, digestive system, skin and lungs, when these are not functioning optimally they don't eliminate unwanted substances effectively. Steam sauna ozone helps clear these systems and every cell in your body.

In a 20 to 30 minute session you will oxygenate your entire body, help the elimination process, speed up your metabolism, improve circulation and boost your immune system while you get a good sweat. Your body will continue to detox for 24 to 48 hours post treatment, so drinking good quality water before and after a session will assist the process.

For those missing their regular gym sauna’s or needing to undo the lock down overload, its the perfect solution while you give your body the boost it needs.

Our WhatsApp lines are always open. To book at the Claremont Chiropractic Health Centre, 4 Oak Road, Claremont contact Carmen on +27 829217813.

Claremont Chiropractic Health Centre

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MORE IS NEEDED TO KEEP WOMAN SAFE

Women’s Day 2020 should be seen as a rallying point, to remind every South African to do more to keep women safe.

Charnel Hattingh, National Marketing and Communications Manager at Fidelity ADT, says she believes a good place to start in keeping women safe is to follow some basic safety tips.

“Being distracted makes you a soft target. Criminals are always on the lookout for soft or vulnerable targets, and will take advantage if you are not paying attention to your surroundings. Being aware of potential threats is the first and most effective line of defence for anyone,” she says.

           

There are other tips to follow as well, Hattingh adds:

• Trust your instinct. Women have great intuition and should listen to their instincts. If someone or something makes you feel uneasy, avoid the individual and leave the area
• Make contact with your private security service provider and ask them if they offer a mobile panic alarm service, which could be downloaded to your mobile phone
• Tell someone where you are going and the time you expect to return. Save it to your mobile phone or memorise the details of the person to be contacted in the event of an emergency

“Talk to your loved ones about these tips. By sharing it and by working with the brave men and women of our law enforcement and security partners, we can make a difference and make the world safer for our women,” Hattingh concludes.

Fidelity-ADT

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GET YOUR FINANCES IN ORDER

Get your finances in order – it’s the ideal time to buy a new home.

There’s nothing quite like a global pandemic and several weeks of lockdown to put one’s priorities into perspective! Unsurprisingly, many people are thinking about their financial stability and long-term investment goals.

While the property market too has been affected by lockdown restrictions, as a tangible asset it remains a good investment option even in challenging economic times, says Carl Coetzee, CEO of bond originator, BetterBond.

“Already, there has been an increase in home loan applications, with June showing volumes well above pre-lockdown levels,” says Coetzee. This may be due in part to pent-up demand after the restricted sales activity from March to June. However, house price inflation was slowing in many areas before the lockdown, and the record-low interest rate - with yet another cut on the cards - has created the ideal opportunity to invest in the property market.

The FNB Property Barometer for June says that the low interest rate coupled with the average discount in asking price of 12%, and lower transfer duties will support buying activity going forward, and is likely to contribute to a rebound in the residential property market in 2021.

Calculate how much you can afford

The process of buying a home starts very simply by assessing and organising your personal finances as they currently stand and then plotting your long-term financial goals and a way to achieve them,” says Coetzee. “Buyers need to arm themselves with the facts and figures associated with buying a home before they start to look at properties,” advises Coetzee. “They need to understand what – and where – they can afford to buy, so that they know where to start looking. This knowledge will also strengthen their hand in dealing with real estate agents, who will appreciate that buyers have
done their homework.”

Save with a bond originator

First home buyers may not know that it costs nothing to use a bond originator, and in fact, they should do so early on. A good first step is to work out what you can afford, with the use of an affordability calculator such as the one on BetterBond’s own website.

Explains Coetzee: “Using the value of your gross and net income as well as your monthly expenses, an affordability calculator will work out how much you could qualify for in a bond as well as what it would cost you per month. Plus, a bond originator can supply this information to you officially, arming you with a ‘pre-approval certificate’ – a document that indicates what you may be able to afford - even before you start to look.”

The site also allows you to do multiple calculations. For example, a ‘deposit savings’ calculator works out how much you need to save each month, and how long you’ll need to save for a certain deposit.

Once you’ve found a home and have the required deposit, a bond originator will also act on your behalf, making contact with several banks to negotiate the best possible interest rate on your bond. “Obtaining the best interest rate for a potential home buyer is one of the most important things a bond originator can do and can save a homeowner thousands of rands in interest payments over the lifespan of their bond, if they choose to hold on to a property until it is paid off,” stresses Coetzee.

“For example, a difference of as little as 0.5% in an interest rate can result in a saving of around R72 000 on a home loan of R1 million, taken over a standard 20-year bond term.”

Know your credit score

However, Coetzee adds that the entire process begins by understanding your creditworthiness, and a two-pronged approach is required.

The first is to find out what your credit score is – how credit agencies rate your credit history based on how well you manage your existing financial responsibilities. Explains Coetzee: “The higher your score, the higher the bond that banks will be prepared to offer you. If your score is low, then you would need to work on getting your financial house in order before you buy a real one.”

The second requirement is to understand your current monthly expenses in order to ascertain exactly what you could afford in a bond, or put away each month towards a deposit. “And this begins with something as simple as setting up a monthly budget, to see where your money currently goes and where you could cut back in order to build up a deposit as soon as possible,” advises Coetzee.

The sooner these are on track, the sooner you’ll be unlocking the door both to your own home and a solid long-term investment.

Anne-Marie Bamber is Norgarb Properties dedicated Home Loans Consultant. She has over 15 years’ experience in assisting clients with their Home Loan needs and has placed many happy families in their dream homes.

Contact her today for no cost stress-free home-buying.
Anne-Marie Bamber
Home Loans consultant
Tel: +27 (0)21 851 3568 | Fax: +27 (0)21 441 1494 | Cell: +27 (0)82 071 1665
E-mail: anne-marie.bamber@betterlife.co.za

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LEARNING HOW TO EAT INTUITIVELY

One of my main goals when helping clients with their eating is to empower them get out of a fad dieting habit and learn how to eat intuitively. A fad diet is a popular weight-loss plan that promises unrealistic results such as fast weight loss and unfounded health improvements. Usually these diets are not healthy and don’t result in long-term weight loss. I find that they play havoc with people’s health, both physiologically and psychologically, and make people very weight and number focussed.

If you want to learn how to eat well and ensure that food is giving your body exactly what it needs, you need to learn how to listen to your body. Intuitive eating is a non-diet approach to health and wellness that moves away from the restrictive and rule-focused eating by teaching you to tune into your body signals as well as improve your relationship with food. It is about learning to eat outside of a diet, putting the focus on internal cues (hunger, fullness, satisfaction) rather than external cues (food rules and restrictions). Further to this you also shouldn’t be focusing on a number goal – when you eat intuitively your body will naturally come to its healthy place. 

Theoretically, intuitive eating is the exact opposite of a diet. There should be no meal plan to follow, no measuring of portions, no calorie counting, and no foods are off limits. I find however, that it is easier to learn the internal signals by starting off with a structure that helps your body to function at its best.  So when I work with clients I usually start off by designing an eating plan. This may still seem like a strict eating plan, and it is in some respects, because when you are not able to know what your body is telling you, you need to learn the signals and signs that your body is sending out and what they mean. I have found that it is easier to learn this while you are following a set of guidelines as to when and how much to eat.

These guidelines will help you to eat with your physiology, which will help you to listen to and learn your signals properly.  On a simple level, this involves:

· Starting early (within an hour of getting up)

· Eating at regular intervals thereafter (every 3-5 hours)

· Eating more food during the daytime

· Eating enough food for your metabolism to function at its best

Together with this structure, I teach clients how to start listening to what their body is telling them.  One important thing to remember is that your body will never lie to you.  You can trust your body to tell you exactly what it needs. Some of the things that your body can tell you include:

· When you are hungry (this is a light empty or hollow feeling in the stomach area)

· When you have had enough to eat (this is when you are no longer very interested in the food mindful eating is very important here)

· When you have eaten too much (this is when the stomach feels very distended)

· What foods feel good for your body

· What foods don’t feel good (this can result in stomach aches or other allergy symptoms)

· When you are thirsty and need fluid

Some of the problems with listening to your body are that:

1) Depending on how much fad dieting you have done, these signals can take some time to be ‘heard’ and understood

2) How much time you take to be quiet and listen to your body, as well as how often you do the exercises, will determine how quickly you will understand and be able to work with just listening to your body

3) The structure of your day will determine whether you can eat with your signals or not.  For example, if you are only able to have lunch at 1pm, you will need to eat at this time, whether you are hungry yet or not – learning how to eat intuitively in these instances can be more tricky

When you are able to hear and understand your signals you can start eating when your body tells you it needs energy, as well as stop eating when your body tells you it has had enough.  Once you have these signals down, you should theoretically never have a weight problem again as you will generally not eat when you are not hungry and you won’t eat way past satiety or fullness.

Another angle of intuitive eating, which you can practice from the start even before you understand the signals fully, is to think about what you feel like eating and eat according to what you want to eat rather than what your brain tells you you should eat (portions are still important here). You may think that you’ll have a treat fest, but once you realise how much better you feel with food that has more nutrition you will intuitively make the right decisions.  But you will also allow yourself to have the occasional treat, because there is nothing wrong with that.  One of the things that is important with intuitive eating is that you give yourself permission to eat whatever you want without feeling guilty. 

Intuitive eating is an amazing concept if you are able to let go of the diet mentality.  Take your time to move away from the focus of just losing weight and find a different way of eating that you can stick to for the rest of your life. 

Some of the things that I have been working on for the last few months:

I have developed a 12 week online program called ‘Breaking the Fad Dieting Habit’ which will be starting again in August.

Also check out my emotional eating nutrition series that ran through the month of July on https://www.kimsnutrition.com/videos

Kim Hofmann RD(SA)

Cell: 084 206 2715

E-mail: kimh.rd@mweb.co.za

Website: www.kimsnutrition.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimsnutrition

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Dietician-147567922002184/

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WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE A WILL?

Events which shape one’s life, such as marriage, the purchase of a property, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, a divorce or emigration, all lead to a change in personal circumstances which may require the updating of your Will.

To ensure that your estate devolves efficiently, cost-effectively and with a minimum of delay upon your chosen beneficiaries, it is important that you draw up a valid Will and that you seek professional advice in doing so.

Your Will must take many things into consideration, the most obvious being the nomination of heirs and the appointment of an executor to administer your estate.

A Will Trust can be created to control any assets being awarded to a minor child and it is also possible to stipulate your choice of guardian to care for your minor children in the event of the untimely death of your spouse and yourself.

Other considerations may include:
• Will there be sufficient liquidity in your estate to pay your debts and at the same time provide for the financial security of your family?
• Do you have business interests which may be vulnerable?
• Can estate duty be minimised?
• Is your mortgage bond covered by insurance?
• If applicable, where will the funds come from to meet your obligations in terms of a divorce order?
• What are the Capital Gains Tax implications?
• Is your Will correctly structured to cover your offshore assets?

If you have an inter vivos trust, which is set up during your lifetime, the Trust Deed may need to be reviewed, in particular with regard to the appointment of suitable trustees to manage the Trust after your death.

Please contact our Deceased Estates Department for a consultation on tel 021 673 4700 or email estates@stbb.co.za.

**If you contact STBB in regards to Wills etc from this blog post, please inform them that you've seen it in the Harfield Village Newsletter/ Blogspot so they can know the source for monitoring purposes.** 

STBB Claremont



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