On the Heath, I can hear the telltale frantic whistle before I catch sight of its owner or the unruly dog she is attempting to call back. Looking down at my own dogs walking happily by my side I feel a reasonably firm sense of certainty that they would come back if I called them […]
Read MorePulling a second batch of hot cross buns from the oven having forgotten to add spice to the first batch and essentially making fruity bread rolls I am thinking about the relationship between “settling” and “striving”. In Oliver Burkeman’s excellent book “Four Thousand Weeks” he posits the argument that “settling” is essential for a rewarding […]
Read MoreA postcard drops through the letterbox as I’m hoovering around the massive dog crate that the younger dog no longer uses but where the older one seeks refuge when she needs a bit of peace. The card is from “The Idler” magazine reminding me of my recent subscription so I put it on a pile […]
Read MoreReturning home from a sodden dog walk in teeming rain I pass a few joggers looking as miserable as the weather and feel happy in the certain knowledge that however good running might be for my physical body, I don’t want to do it. In an age when we can’t move for unsolicited advice about […]
Read MoreTrying to work out why I get so much enjoyment from watching other people do things I can’t do I type into Google, “Why do we enjoy….” and before I can finish I notice the first suggested autofill, “spicy food” This seems like an odd thing to question, but not as odd as an offering […]
Read MoreAfter Elon Musk’s most recent unsavoury exchange with one of his ex-employees, I return to the question I have been agonising over for literally years, the prospective ending of my relationship with social media. I could live without Twitter which makes me feel anxious and bitter in equal measure in mere seconds, and Facebook is […]
Read MoreI’m thinking about a question received from a client about how to avoid burnout while I sit in the doctor’s surgery waiting to have some blood drawn and trying to distract myself. On a list of things I would definitely try to avoid at all costs, having blood taken would feature near the top. Even […]
Read MoreListening to the news that tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce will be in short supply for the foreseeable future, I regret my hubris in giving up chocolate, biscuits, AND cake for Lent when I could have given up salad and taken some pressure off the food chain. I wanted to show solidarity with my daughter who, […]
Read MoreI’m reading the research paper my daughter wrote at the end of her placement year about the impact of parenting on sexual risk-taking in young adults and trying to identify my own style and wondering what it did to my kids. During a conversation while she was working on it she said, rather more assertively […]
Read MoreMy spam filter has a mind of its own which would be concerning under any circumstances but, for reasons best known to itself, has started moving directly into “trash” some of the most relevant and important emails I receive. My favourite substacks, messages from clients about appointment details, and confirmations of orders I’ve placed that […]
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