My daughter bought me a copy of Ali Smith’s latest novel, “Companion Piece” which is, as its title suggests, to compliment the quartet of stories she wrote in the years since Brexit as a reflection of the chaos and hope inherent in modern UK society. I am always left feeling fulfiled when I read Smith […]
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The Chinese Banyan in my clinic room has begun to look sick. It’s shedding leaves and, aside from a few at the tips of the branches, the rest of them are turning yellow. This may not seem like a big deal but my plant, which only cost a few pounds from IKEA several years ago, […]
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I am “lurking” on Slack watching messages exchanged between other therapists. Most are uninteresting details of sessions rebooked or reassigned but the thread which catches my eye is about the fixation clients sometimes have with being given written exercises to do in order to identify what’s wrong, or help them recover. “What is this fascination […]
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On a balmy summer’s evening, Martin is round for dinner and we’re sitting outside wondering if the zoom lens on my camera is powerful enough to take a reasonable picture of the stunning moon. Deciding it isn’t we eat ice cream and stare out into the wilderness. “Your garden reminds me of your mum’s,” he […]
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We know that unlimited choice isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and it turns out that immediacy, for some of us at least, has significant downsides too. In a conversation with my son about my disinterest in almost everything on the TV coupled with weariness at sifting through the thousands of films and series […]
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What if the old adage “practice makes perfect” proved not to be true? What difference might that make to the way you decided to spend your time? In a recent episode of “Sideways” I happened to mention that I was sorry we sold my father’s record collection after he died because, even without his expert […]
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We’re eating outside in the warmth of the early summer evening while the puppy flits between digging up the raised beds and sticking her head into the honeysuckle playing fast and loose with the bees. My son and his girlfriend are discussing a mutual friend who has contracted scabies and is sensitive about the conditions […]
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It isn’t uncommon for us to struggle with procrastination from time to time but when help comes inadvertently from my dogs they teach me another valuable lesson at the same time. Even with the windows fully open and the blinds angled to let in the air, it becomes quickly evident that there is no air, […]
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My daughter is sharing with us the latest instalment of her parking tribulations. “I just can’t park, even though I know that I can.” “You’ve got into your own head. Your conscious brain is getting involved where your unconscious can already cope.” “I know, but if I keep scraping the kerb like I do at […]
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When I bought a kamado grill (a fancy BBQ), I joined a Facebook group to help me up the learning curve and set the tone when I posted my first question querying what looked like a crack in the fire bowl only to be ridiculed by a lot of men (only men) who told me […]
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