14 Jun

Posted at 18:59h in Family, Mental health
0 Likes

We have been in Anglesey for about 8 weeks now. It has been fantastic. As I write this I am outside sat at the table under the parasol. If I look up I can see the mountains of Snowdonia in the distance and the patchwork of fields, with the occasional house or farm dotted in between. The swallows that have nested in the outhouse where we keep the broken garden furniture and an impressive collection of cobwebs swoop in and out, dancing above me. All I can hear is birdsong, my fingers tapping on the the keys and a distant radio...

24 Feb

Posted at 11:47h in Mental health
0 Likes

On either side of my driveway crocuses and snowdrops have started to appear. They have forced their way through the decomposing leaves. Bursts of colour against the damp brown matting. I take a rake and gently pull it across the flowerbed, easing my way through the flowers carefully, trying not to knock off the delicate blooms. The flowers I expose are top heavy, their stems are white, translucent, anaemic. Many of them flop forward, unable to support their own weight. I fear my zeal might have shortened their already brief life. I recognise myself here. I have been re-learning how to live in a...

18 Jan

Posted at 11:52h in Living well, Mental health
0 Likes

I can't remember a time I did not know the lyrics to the theme tune of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Throughout the early '90s the song wormed its way into my ear, remaining in my head long after the show had finished. And, kudos to the song's composers, years later as my children grew up unaware of the origins of this piece of musical genius (heavy on the irony), we have on occasion found ourselves singing it to the kids, mock-rapping in the kitchen, initially thrilling and later totally embarrassing them. Last week my ten year old discovered nearly 150 episodes of Will...

13 Sep

Posted at 12:06h in Beauty, Living well
0 Likes

(Before the summer I wrote three posts about creativity, you can read the first one here. This is part 4.) I want to live a creative life, of making and discovering, of spontaneity and hard work. But I have a problem in achieving this and I don't think I am alone: My life is too full. My cupboards and counter-tops are full, my inbox and to-do list is full. My day is full of errands and requests to be fulfilled for the small (and not so small!) people I am care for. My mind is full of their hopes and needs and desires and expectations, and whether or...