Some months have a theme; this month has definitely been running on empty. Now I don’t mean to be sexist about this but it does seem to me more common with women; mums mainly. (To be fair I probably see more women than men, lack of fuel very definitely isn’t confined to one sex or gender).As you know when I talk to people we look … Read More
The Pickled Onion Cure
The Pickled Onion Cure There is a great book called A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith; it is about a young girl growing up in Brooklyn before the First World War. It has very evocative descriptions of their daily life and the various food shops they used; the Chinese tea vendor who weighed the tea out on a large balance … Read More
Seven Degrees of Separation
Seven degrees of Separation I was lucky enough to go away this bank holiday (and yes I have got close to the deadline in terms of writing this newsletter!).Got to Chippenham station a bit overloaded with bags and was desperate for coffee. Coffee at the station is good so ordered my flat white. Lady behind the counter was (possibly) not having a … Read More
(A)ttending to yourself
It is very easy to think of ourselves like a machine; full of moving parts and oil with mysterious gearing systems and occasional odd noises and clunks. This rather mechanical approach is fairly common within the medical community; an orthopaedic surgeon who taught us described orthopaedics as carpentry. Cut the old bit out and stick a new bit in, glue it all together and bish, … Read More
Economy begins at home
I use an app called Libri Vox to help me sleep at night. Basically it reads to you from books that are out of copyright* classics mainly. I have been through the Little Women series several times (not helped by the fact you fall asleep!) In one of the later books Meg and her daughter Daisy were having avid and (to them) interesting conversations with a … Read More
Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me?
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me? I have always thought this is a ridiculous aphorism and I now know that words can be damaging. There is scientific evidence of the powerful effect that negative words have on pain i.e. it makes it worse. Have you ever been to see a health care professional to be told you … Read More
Who let the dogs out?
I walk every morning in a field behind the house; every day I am alert for two dogs who I mentally term ‘the hounds of the Baskervilles’. If I even hear them barking I’ll go in another direction. This is based on a couple of encounters where they have raced up to me growling and their owner has very little control over them. She then adds fuel to the … Read More
Have a little patience
I am with Gary Barlow (Take That) on this one, give yourself time. We live in a very busy instant gratification world, rush, rush, rush. Being busy is like a badge of honour and somehow you are slacking if you are not. Texting, social media, ready meals what are we saving all of this time for? People are very impatient and get … Read More
Attraversiamo
Hands up all of you who have seen Eat, Pray, Love? Or read the book? Or done both? Two hands up! It’s about a women who decides to take a year off to travel and sort herself out. At the end she feels much happier and settled inside herself and then a new opportunity arises for a different life; should she … Read More
It’s a whole new world
It’s a whole new world Have you ever had a complete shift in the way you view yourself or radically changed your behaviour or beliefs? Not just for a few days or weeks but completely no looking back to the old ways?I have had it happen a few times in my life, going on a diet (the last of many) losing more … Read More
In the deep midwinter; thinking about the future.
Thoughts of the Future Happy New Year; I hope you all had a peaceful and Happy Xmas. It’s an odd time of year, quiet and still outwardly very little happening, but what lies underneath? How many of you have planted bulbs? It is an act of faith and is such a pleasure when your work comes to fruition in the spring. I have shamelessly copied the idea of … Read More
All I want for Christmas
All I want for Christmas I have found all of the media hysteria about Xmas quite irritating to put it mildly; there will be no turkeys or pigs in blankets; no plastic rubbish to put into children’s stockings.Xmas will be ruined….really? We only need to think back to last year when we would have been grateful to have shared Xmas with our families and … Read More