Monologues
Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
As well as a time to enjoy Mother Nature at her best, the end of May has become a time of reflection for me. There is no better opportunity to do that other than on a solitary walk, very early on a beautiful late-spring morning. Isn’t my pic fab, even though I say so...
Mind the Gap: Death, the final taboo.
Due to the fact that C-19 virus is ‘novel’ to the human population, we’re collectively having to go back to square one. We’re being taught some VERY basic personal hygiene, a simple understanding of viruses and how they spread, and sad to say, some basic manners. No,...
READ ALL ABOUT IT! Fake News? No, IMPORTANT news.
Around 20 years ago I used to work for a well-know national broadcasting service (it shall remain nameless but it begins with B). I sat in on the daily newsroom editorial meetings and listened to the discussions as to what stories should be dropped, or if included,...
The Lady with the Lamp? She’s back, she’s in East London
On 24th March, the government announced that the Excel Centre in London’s East End was going to be turned into a field hospital to cope with the patients affected by Covid-19. My initial reaction was shock, having been to the...
Is the dodo extinct? A Mother’s Day musing
I’ve been thinking about the mothering role a lot today, and if you live in the UK, you’ll know that’s hardly surprising. It’s Mothers Day, a day when we all come together as families to honour our mothers and all they’ve given and done for us. Not this year. I’m the...
Creating Calm in the Chaos: Managing your Energy
My life mantra is this: “There’s no point in having a mind if you can’t open, expand or change it.” Lis Allen I’ve spent my entire adult life learning about the human condition in general (mine in particular), starting with mainstream academia at university in the...
I nearly lost it recently. Have you been close to losing it?
What small thing can you do to restore gender balance, whatever your gender is?
Do you need to give yourself a break?
Every day, Facebook gives me the chance to look back over the posts I've made on that date in previous years. I rarely take up this opportunity to review my past: my (lifetime) habitual behaviour has been to look to the future, plotting and planning big goals and...
My passport to success? You bet it is!
This morning I was to be found rummaging in my bureau, searching for my passport. It was exactly where I thought it should be (small miracle!) and I was able to give my details in seconds. Am I booking a flight or trip abroad? No, I was giving my details for...
Fancy a punch up with Mike Tyson? Are you insane?!
Aged 18, I made a committed decision to myself that I would live life to the full, grasp interesting opportunities and have as much fun as possible. As a result, I’ve had an extremely successful life (by my measure of success) and my intention is to continue with...
Was she pushed or did she jump?
Do you live inside or outside of your comfort zone?
Araldite, philosophy and pure gold
No doubt due to living through the austerity of the Second World War, my former father-in-law was known to mend some items of broken crockery with araldite, and return said-damaged items back into domestic circulation! I used to hate eating off the mended plates, not...
When it comes to commitment, are you a chicken or a pig?
And your response to my question? I’m guessing you’d ask me more questions. Commitment to what? Doesn’t it depend on the project? And who’s involved? YES. Absolutely! I’ve been a party to many conversations over the years, hearing other people described as very...
To fear or not to fear? That is the question. And the answer?
Well, I have to admit to being in somewhat of a state of shock following the result of the EU referendum and for a number of reasons. Apart from the practical/legal and financial repercussions of the vote, it has opened up schisms in ideology and mind-set in the UK...
Is it Dunne or Donne? When all's said and done, does it matter?
You may recall that I sent out a newsletter last week which cited a great quote from the wonderful metaphysical poet, John Donne. Someone (and only one person out of a large email list) alerted me to the fact that I had mis-spelt John's surname, erroneously putting...
Geri Halliwell, bricks and leadership
She will probably never know it, but I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Gerri Halliwell (of Spice Girls fame, of course) because a few years back she was the catalyst for me wanting to throw a brick through my tv! This surge of rage was followed immediately by the...
Are your habits dirty or clean?
I was having a conversation with a distressed mother about her wayward teenage son the other day and we ended up discussing the importance of modelling in a child’s development. Sociologist Morris Massey advocated the widely accepted theory that there are three main...
It’s back to school – can you leave the ‘s’ word at home this September?
I’ve been reading lots of emotional posts on Facebook over the last few days, as countless mothers wave their offspring off to begin the next chapters of their lives. Nursery, reception class, secondary school, and of course in a few weeks time it’ll be the world of...