"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how," said the eminently wise Dr Seuss.One of my earliest memories is being laughed at by my grandmother and her friend for playing with a baby doll. I've no idea how old I was but as I had apparently abandoned dolls in favour of teddies… Continue reading …playful
Clutter has always jangled my brain. While it's a cliché that some writers can't work until their desk is clear, this is very real for me. Don't get me wrong, my desk is nothing like the one in the picture below and my office is an Aladdin’s cave of pictures, plants and knickknacks, but everything… Continue reading …uncluttered
I got turned down for an emergency Covid19 survival grant for our holiday let business today. I didn’t realise how much hope I had invested in it until the slightly curt email arrived informing me that, due to the volume of demand for help, the panel had said no. What we do now, I’m really… Continue reading …disappointed
Insomniacs and new parents, please look away now, but on Saturday night I had eleven hours sleep. I woke to feel, for once, fully awake and properly rested, but even writing it down feels like a confession.I've always had a strange relationship with rest. When I was seven, I was confined to bed for a… Continue reading …rested
I have an affirmation Blu-tacked to my monitor that reads, 'I want to see what happens if I don't give up.' I wrote after re-reading Elizabeth Gilbert's inspiring book on creativity, Big Magic.For anyone aspiring to live a creative life, it's the equivalent of a warm hug from a precious friend who always has your… Continue reading …curious
There's an old saying, 'when the student is ready, the teacher appears.' Well, I received a beautiful lesson from a very unexpected teacher this week. A few posts ago I wrote about my ongoing battle to quiet my mind and reflected on the fact that I can at least potter in the garden now without… Continue reading …still
Scan any social media feed at the moment and you may be fooled into thinking that most people are rocking the lockdown. The home workouts, baking skills, DIY projects, fundraising efforts, freshly minted online businesses and hilarious home-made comedy videos can leave the rest of us feeling like we're slightly under-achieving. The news is filled… Continue reading …enough
When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to take me to the penny arcade on the pier. I'd get a money bag full of coppers for the coin-push games while she tried her luck on the one-armed bandits. I'd play for a while, but before my bag was even half-empty, I'd pop it… Continue reading …secure
Over the years I’ve tried so hard to cultivate a meditation habit. I went to classes but stopped when I realised that paying a tenner a time to fall asleep on the floor of the village hall was a bit of a waste. I’ve tried tapes (yes, we’re going back a bit!), apps and books… Continue reading …mindful
This is a label I’ve worn with shame most of my life. Picture a worrier and you’ll no doubt see some sort of hand-wringing neurotic constantly checking the sky like Chicken Little. Then a few years ago I heard a radio interview with an astronaut that changed my perspective entirely. The man in question was… Continue reading …a worrier
It's all about being... 