I have inevitably been thinking about stories and storytelling this week.  This amongst keeping my 3 boys occupied, fed and alive. Getting to the end of each day with them all safely tucked up in bed is me winning at life, always. Art as we know it, came about because of storytelling.  The art of storytelling came through verbal communication and visual art. I’m thinking of the pictures drawn on cave walls and on clay pots. Humans want and need to tell and hear stories. It’s very much part of who we are from infancy. Through the written word, images, sound and textures etc. stories have become as we now know them; novels, film, photography, artwork, art installations, fashion, music etc. It’s all storytelling and it’s all art. Frankly it leaves me in awe but that might be the geek in me talking. I’ve been reading a lot about writing. I’ve been reading a lot for pleasure too.  I will say this, I haven’t a clue when it comes to being a good storyteller.  It takes chara...

It's amazing what an adrenaline rush I got from writing the blog posts and putting it out there for everyone to see. I put it up on all my socials, completely riding that adrenaline wave where any fear was firmly locked up at the back of my mind. Of course, that euphoria can't last forever and it's come crashing down... This week has been truly wonderful.  We've just come back from visiting good friends' whom we last stayed with in 2019: old photos of which popped up on my phone in the run up to our visit. We've caught up and are left with some wonderful memories. However, on the thinking front, it's been non-existent .   Rightly, I've been focused on the moment, enjoying the time with my friend and the kids. There's been no time whatsoever to do anything else.  Right now, I should be working on my story outline so I'm ready to do the harder work of writing from my Day 1 (September 4th). It's hard accessing that part of my brain on a whim.  I...

This is the 5th and final section on my 1 year to-do-list.   After this, the posts will slow down, to once a week at a minimum. It's hard juggling life, blog posts and this book I'm meant to be planning out. Something has to give for a bit and it'll be these posts...  I'll post an update next week... For me, voluntary or charitable work in whatever guise is so important.  It does 2 things.  It helps those that you give to but it also helps you because giving helps us see beyond ourselves.  It fosters connections and connections are really what we as humans strive our whole lives to make and to sustain. I think connections is a whole blog topic in of itself. I have a lot to say on our need to connect. Back on topic... Granted we can't all volunteer and what not, but if we have the capacity and the opportunity to give then I think we each have a responsibility to do so. It doesn't have to be in some grand way. It maybe mentoring or coaching or giving advice throug...

I’ve wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember.  Remember, I was the child who believed they could do and be anything in life. This included being a teacher.  I was the annoying child who absolutely loved school, specifically primary school. I was the definition of a teacher's pet. I was disappointed to miss any school because of illness etc. When I was off sick I’d have to go to school pickup to collect my brother and I’d be there accosting the class teacher so I could say hello.  I have extremely fond memories of primary school. Life had other ideas and being a teacher never happened. I managed to coach and teach throughout my career and these were parts of the job I really enjoyed.  I did seriously think about a career change. So much so I took 1 week off as holiday and spent it in a local primary school.  While I absolutely loved my time in school and I knew it was something I wanted to do, the idea of taking that final leap and not having a job ...

Goodness, I have no idea where to start with this.  Sorry I'm rattling through these topics at top speed.  One, because with the summer holidays we have plans this week and I won't be able to blog.  Two, I want to get round to planning the book I intend to write. I'm trying to get the blog and you up to speed in record time before September 4th, my Day 1. As every area of our lives is interrelated I'm going to try and focus on this area alone if possible. It's actually much harder than you think. I believe in something bigger and greater than us. We are all the sum of something bigger that we don't understand in the universe. We are all connected as humans but also inexplicably in other ways. To be all hippy about it, we are one, the sum of the whole so to speak. Anyway, what exactly that is, I'm not best placed to say.  I'm still searching and seeking...  I am the wanderer when it comes to spirituality and faith. Open to all and everything while belongi...

Where to start with this topic? This is the hardest area for me this year. The mental block, the procrastination... I've wanted to be a writer since I was a child.  Along with every other known profession going.  You name it, I wanted to do it and / or be it, from being a teacher, doctor, gymnast, vet, high flying lawyer to being an astronaut after accidentally being jettisoned into space while visiting space camp.  Yes, I would be the one who'd hunt vampires and be the first to meet extra-terrestrial life because the world is vast and full of an infinite number of possibilities.  As we grow those possibilities and opportunities grow ever smaller, in our imagination and then in our reality.  We are on a treadmill and we are running out of time!  Help! It's not all negative though.  I've never got past the thought that I have it in me to write. Not just to write but to write something substantial of book length. I used to write silly short stories and p...

I was doing fabulously well with food and exercise until COVID hit.  It was the perfect storm for me. I'd also found out I was pregnant and then I (like so many others) was stuck at home with 2 young kids: 1 of which needed schooling. However, this post isn't to do with COVID or pregnancy. That is a post in of itself and I'm undecided as to whether that will ever, ever get written. It's not because I don't want to talk about it but because in looking back, I'm looking forwards. This blog is to get me to my endpoints.  So side stepping that swiftly... Food and Nutrition  For my physical wellbeing, I've worked with a nutritionist called Sam Jones.  Origin Nutrition I started my nutrition journey in September 2023 and it's really changed how I feel about food, how I eat and most importantly how I physically feel and look. He's been a real life changer and it's all about eating well and smartly rather than any diet nonsense.  I got to the point where...

I have ambitious plans for the year ahead. If it stays in my head or on a scrappy piece of paper (shoved away with all the other bits of scrappy paper until the end of time), I'm afraid I'll not keep myself accountable.  September 4th is Day 1 for me. It's the start of the UK academic year for my kids. It's the start of a year where for the first time ever, I have time to dedicate purely to myself for myself. Yes, I have a household to run but beyond that it's an opportunity to make changes, push out of my comfort zone and strive for things that weren't possible at different points in my life for various reasons. Where to start ... I've broken it down into 5 different areas (with obvious overlaps). Again, the book Just F*cking Do It by Noor Hibbert was a huge inspiration. Thank you Noor! 🏃 Physical   🧠  Mental   🧘 Spiritual 💼  Vocational 🤝  Charitable Below, I'll touch on my overall aims in each area and in subsequent posts I'll go into more de...

I decided on a whim to become a blogger today. Why do I want to blog?  I have absolutely no expectations that anyone will want to read my blog. I just want to express myself. To put myself out there into the universe and see where the cards land. I'm at a crossroads... My youngest starts school in September and as a stay at home mum it means my life is drastically going to look and feel very different.  There are 2 ways to look at it.  It's a wonderful, amazing opportunity to have more time to myself. To have the freedom to use some of the time given to me, for myself.  It's bloody scary to suddenly have choices and time and ultimately to face change. It feels like I need to make great strides and prove something to myself. That I can use my time wisely and achieve... something. How hard can it be to start blogging? Well it's a minefield... There are lots of options and I really had no clue. I have no lofty ideals of getting any traffic to my blog, let alone making m...