Of Toes and Travels

A month ago I had my left big toenail removed. It didn't hurt at the time, but once the anaesthetic had worn off, it throbbed nastily for a few days. These things take a long time to heal and even [...]

By |2025-02-04T15:55:24+00:004th February 2025|Life, Personal|

A Reflective New Year’s Day 2025

View from my bed, in Dorset at 8am on 1st January 2025. A few fanciful thoughts: The bare trees symbolise the falling of the dead leaves and the ephemera of 2024. The Viburnham winter flowering shrub with its pink flowers [...]

By |2025-01-01T18:42:14+00:001st January 2025|Life, Personal|

Encouragement

Encouragement is a real gift which can lift people up, console, comfort and inspire them. But it is also an ability we can learn and develop with practice.  I have selected various quotations under four headings which show how important [...]

By |2025-01-14T18:26:36+00:0014th October 2024|Life|

Free Friday

Free Friday is the one day each week when there is no employee, contractor or part-timer working at our home either in the office or on the land.  My ‘other half’ and I savour not having to get up early [...]

By |2024-04-24T15:31:45+01:0012th April 2024|Life, Personal|

Light-Bulb Moment

I lost my balance recently. Few of us care to admit having problems with mobility until it becomes obvious. I started falling over a lot. Luckily I’m expert at falling without hurting myself (I used to do ‘pratfalls’ as my [...]

By |2023-12-29T12:56:35+00:0030th June 2023|Life, Personal|

Passing the Spratly Islands

Over 50 years ago, I was living in SE Asia. When on leave from my teaching job in Thailand, I used to travel around the neighbouring countries. In 1970, I bought an inexpensive airline ticket with five destinations, one of [...]

By |2024-04-23T22:26:56+01:006th February 2023|Life, Personal|

Vive la Difference

Big cities or small villages - I’ve lived in both - and I know which I prefer.  In my twenties and thirties I lived in Dublin, Bangkok, London and Bath, but I’ve remained for longer in villages - both in [...]

By |2023-03-16T17:51:52+00:0025th October 2022|Life|

Over a Barrel

"We're out of gas - again!" The exasperation in my husband's voice yesterday was evident.  Like many people, we live in an area with no piped gas, and all our heating and hot water is provided by boilers that run on LPG (liquified petroleum gas) provided by [...]

By |2022-07-11T21:21:59+01:0028th February 2022|Life|
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