Driving to North Devon last week our car broke down. Not knowing anything about cars my partner and I felt helpless stranded at the side of the road. There was nothing we could do but call the Automobile Association (AA) and hope for the best. When the AA man finally arrived he was cheerful and […]
WELLBEING
Why Growing Your Own Vegetables is Worth It
The squirrels and I are at war and so far the squirrels are winning. I plant the seeds, they dig them up and either eat them or carry them off somewhere else in the garden and bury them. My role is to curse them and to patch up the mess they’ve caused and to wonder […]
Is Curiosity the Key to Happiness?
Do you remember being curious as a child? Exploring your world and discovering new things every day? Do you remember the thrill of working out how something worked or finding out everything you could about your latest passion? Perhaps you broke things or hurt yourself along the way, but you were always on the quest […]
Wild about Garlic
‘Do you realise your front garden is full of wild garlic?’ my friend Maria asked as I answered the front door to her last week. She pointed to a bunch growing near the front door. ‘Try some.’ Wild Garlic in My Front Garden I’m ashamed to admit I had no idea the bunches of delicate […]
Let’s Get Physical: Mental Health Awareness Week
Yesterday was one of those days that left me feeling cranky and frazzled. A computer that was misbehaving (guaranteed to raise my stress levels through the roof), difficulty finding parking, which meant I was late for an appointment, and then a long wait at the hospital for a blood test. By the time I got […]
Walking is Better than Running
Brisk walking is as effective as running in protecting the body from heart disease. This encouraging news is the result of a new study published in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology which found that walkers lowered their risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes as much as […]
Relationships and The Ancient Ritual of Storytelling
Last weekend we celebrated Chinese New Year with our Malaysian friends. It’s become something of a ritual in recent years with the same core group each time. After a huge, delicious lunch the twelve of us sat round a friend’s living room and started talking. Hours later, when darkness had fallen and dessert had been […]
Fit by Fifty: Groin Strain – What a Pain!
It’s a freezing February day and I’m sitting here with an ice-pack strapped to my groin. Now, before you make assumptions, let me make it clear that this is not something I picked up in Fifty Shades of Grey and is definitely not recommended as a means of beating the winter chill! Groin Strain – […]
2013 New Year’s Resolutions: A Different Approach
Happy New Year! May 2013 be everything you want it to be, and more. I’m writing this, my first post of the year, on a freezing winter’s day in the middle of January. I realise it’s a bit late in the month for New Year greetings but I’ve had a bit of a delayed start […]
Social Distraction: Mobile Phones and Relationships
At the theatre on Saturday night, the woman sitting next to me whipped out her iPad and began taking photographs in the middle of a performance of Uncle Vanya. The glow from from her iPad screen and the loud click of the camera shutter distracted both audience and performers alike, but that didn’t stop her […]