Moving and shaking

I trust my teacher. So when he gave me a ball at the start of our yoga session together I tried to go with it — even though ‘it’ was an excruciatingly awkward exploration of shoulder and hip mobility and how to connect the two. The ball balancing aspect added challenge, or focus, or maybe... Continue Reading →

May 29, 2021 1

Feeling the love

It was my birthday recently. My second lockdown birthday. The idea was a bit grim, not what I expected — not again! Ordinarily I’m a big fan of birthdays — I feel as though we should celebrate our own birth — but I had a hard time getting into the mood on this one. When... Continue Reading →

April 29, 2021 5

Vaccination joy

Hubby and I got our first vaccine two days ago. Astra Zeneca, our least preferred option, but it’s not a time to act all choosy and I am truly grateful for this. But the 48 hours following were not physically pleasant. Alternating sweats and chills, dizziness and nausea, depleted energy levels, brain fog, muscle and... Continue Reading →

April 22, 2021 2

An anniversary, happy or not

In UK we’ve been in one sort of lockdown or another for a year now. We have our famous ‘roadmap’ out, but it’s early days. This anniversary, such as it is, prompts retrospection and I’ve had conversations with many others as we look behind us and see how far we’ve come even while we are... Continue Reading →

April 17, 2021 1

Lockdown easing

In UK news the prime minister just announced the measures to ease us out of lockdown. My personal opinion is that the ‘big bang’ return to schools of all age groups simultaneously is misguided and likely to lead to an increase in the R number with who knows what consequences... But at least friends and... Continue Reading →

February 23, 2021 4

Whispers in the wind

I go out for a little run once a week. It’s a big deal for me. For several years now yoga has been my refuge, a way of slowly reconnecting with my body one breath at a time. I used to take it really easy, following the advice to listen to my body. Until I... Continue Reading →

January 17, 2021 5

Storytime

We walked by the river today. A beautiful winter’s day with a blue cloudless sky and discernible warmth from the sun. The footpath was flooded after the recent rain and eventually we had to turn back. Not only was it threatening to wash over the top of my boots, but there was a pull from... Continue Reading →

December 27, 2020 2

Lockdown blues

Someone asked me recently if I had been writing during lockdown, for myself at least even if not for sharing. The answer’s pretty much a no, though I’ve thought about it often, and rather wish I had captured the fluctuating tide of thoughts day by day, week by week. Despite rarely venturing more than a... Continue Reading →

December 19, 2020 2

Changing our view

Hmm, the whole lockdown-pandemic thing is starting to bore me a bit. I know I’m lucky to have made it through 4 months or so before beginning to feel like this... and only in a minor way even now! Hah, perhaps all that yoga practice really does ‘work’! In UK it’s hard sometimes to believe... Continue Reading →

August 2, 2020 3

Texture

My mum and I are in the habit now of exchanging photos from our respective self-isolations. We share some details of what we’ve seen on our daily walks, our one form of outdoor entertainment. Today she sent me pictures of some sawn tree trunks. She had found them beautiful. She commented on the shapes and... Continue Reading →