What does balance look like for you? This is the question Fearne Cotton asks in her wise, engaging pep-talk of a book, Happy.‘ I’ve been trying to give myself the pep-talk for a while now. You know, the whole self love, self care, self respect kind of pep-talk. (It’s not about being selfish, by the…
Category: Lifestyle
Books for Tough Times
We all go through difficult times and when I do, books are often part of my therapy, offering escapism, wisdom, connection and hope. Here are some of the books that have helped me most in harder seasons: 1. A Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp This book completely changed me. It’s essentially about gratitude, but not…
A Year of Prayers
In the inevitable spurt of January reflections, I have resolved to blog a little more, and to pray a lot more. Praying, for me, is a living and breathing thing, more a day-to-day openness to God’s Presence than a formal or liturgical rite. I believe in the love and encouragement of God, in his goodness,…
Three Good Things
Remember that book, Three Good Things, by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall? It’s a recipe book, released several years ago, based on the concept that less is more, that a good dish can often be made with three simple but wholesome and tasty ingredients (plus a few store-cupboard items). Lately, I’ve been applying that concept to my latest…
Gardens
It’s June, and as you’ll have read in my previous post, that means I’m sticking to my tradition of celebrating ’30 Days Wild’, along with many others. Since having children, one of my favourite places to go is RHS Rosemoor. In every season, this place is beautiful and fragrant, full of flowers, herbs and trees….
At Home (30 Days Wild)
Every June, the Wildlife Trust organise ’30 Days Wild’, encouraging people from all walks of life to get outside and experience nature. For me, it has become a 365-days-a-year thing, but June is a great month in which to celebrate that! Getting outside and engaging with nature is very much a part of who I…
On Parenting (and writing and, of course, the Small Things)
For various reasons, I never wanted this to become a parenting blog and especially not a motherhood one. But it has slowly dawned on me, firstly that writing one or two posts on parenting doesn’t have to make the whole blog about parenting, and secondly that, as a parent, I really have very little else…
My Year in Books
Books are my thing. They keep me company all year round, helping to ground me and lead me, shape me and encourage me. I’m pretty sure that it’s not just me, this book thing, so I do take the liberty of sharing my favourites with you here every now and then. This year, with the…
Blackberries
I grab half an hour of slow on a grey day in late August, and everything slides into perspective again. Small, ripe blackberries, abundant but carefully chosen, begin to fill my bag and stain my fingers. Fruit from a thorn bush, essentially. The branches scratch at me as I search out the loveliest ones. I…
Life Lived 