The Colour Purple

I've just read Alice Walker's The Colour Purple for the first time. Yeah, I know: I'm so culturally impoverished and all that... But my excuse is that I was in the remedial class for English at school and we didn't actually read books (though we watched a few film adaptations), so I missed out on the... Continue Reading →

January 29, 2016 0

I take my hat off to the little gem

Free stuff at work today! And not just 'action points' from meetings which are always dispensed very liberally in my direction....! A nice young man (I feel almost old enough to say this non-ironically!) from the local council came in to dispense advice and information about doorstep recycling. We had a great chat about the 'stretch... Continue Reading →

January 21, 2016 7

Elephants, god, and sex: lost in translation

I've been learning Sanskrit for a few slow months now. Progress is not as fast as I'd like. But then when is it? But actually I high-fived my rather staid class-mate yesterday -- we'd read a page together reasonably fluently during that lesson. OK, it's really simple stuff: stories my teacher has written with really basic grammatical constructions (strictly... Continue Reading →

January 20, 2016 5

Mandolines and Tiggers

I just bought a mandoline (not a mandolin -- though Hubby does own a bouzouki, if you wanted a random fact of the day!). I mean the tool for slicing veggies (and fingers too if you don't concentrate well). Somehow I've gone four decades without needing one, but now my moment has come since I'm eating more... Continue Reading →

January 9, 2016 1

Sick of winter?

Last autumn I made a commitment to myself to try to approach my least favourite season of the year with a lighter attitude, hoping to lessen the winter darkness with a bit of positive thinking and some constructive actions. Now we've passed the shortest day I'm breathing something of a sigh of relief. I'm on the home straight,... Continue Reading →

January 7, 2016 3

Blogging and practicing yoga — more similar than you think

My domain renewal came round today reminding me that it's been about a year since I set up my blog. In my little life this is quite a big deal! So I'm celebrating what this means to me. Blogging would be nothing but an online journal if it were not for you reading. Nothing wrong... Continue Reading →

January 6, 2016 4

Gladly home

I'm home now, back in my space. I'm happy to be here, but my heart aches for my family left behind after Christmas. My body aches too after some days of a different routine -- strange bed, different food, activity (or the lack thereof) and so on... Now I have the luxury of some days... Continue Reading →

December 28, 2015 1

Presents and Presence

So Christmas time. We're home at the ancestral babycrow nest with my parents for a few days. Veggies have been peeled and chopped and glasses polished to make things easier tomorrow, and we're now just settling in for a quiet evening of chatting and catching up, with Champagne accompaniment. The presents are wrapped and underneath the... Continue Reading →

December 24, 2015 5

Sitting with authenticity

I'm just back from a professional development course on authenticity. I loved that the course ended with the choice of staying on for networking and conversation -- or for the self-confessed introverts to leave and 'find a dark corner' in which to reflect. So clearly I've done the latter. I'm tucked up at home at... Continue Reading →

December 16, 2015 2

What’s your story?

"What's your story?" is a question I seem to get asked a lot these days. I guess that's exciting -- it means I'm talking to new people who want or need to know more about me quickly. Asking an open question can be very revealing -- it's a tactic that I love to use in my professional... Continue Reading →