Two people turned up for my Open Spaces in Nine Elms walk: Nick & me. Well, the weather was more like October than August; cold, gusting winds and heavy downpours. And I know London is half empty in August, so maybe it was the wrong time to try my first walk under my own umbrella …
My poem Hotel Braverman was published in the Morning Star on Thursday, and you can read it online here: Hotel Braverman It's a poem I wish I hadn't had to write. I wish our government would live up to its obligations under the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that 'Everyone has the …
Tahini on toast. My breakfast this morning, and it set me thinking, not for the first time, what a magical food tahini is. Surely, I thought, there must be one day in the year when this delicious, nutritious and versatile ingredient is celebrated. I searched online and to my surprise it appears there is no …
A few weeks ago I saw a post by Mark Elliott, co-founder of Startup School for Seniors, on LinkedIn: Do you OverThink Things? I read the piece and thought about it. I thought about it all over the weekend. And then I finally replied 'I have been thinking about your post since I read it, …
Daffodils are already opening in the community roof garden where I volunteer. Those yellow trumpets certainly lift the spirits, heralding the promise of spring just around the corner. I've had a quietish start to the year and have used this to reflect and think about how I can build on the workshops and walks I …
It's not been the easiest year, but here are a few things that have brought me joy: Flickerbook by Leila Berg, published by CB editions. I have read quite a lot this year but this is the book that immediately comes to mind as my favourite. I loved it from the very first page. Berg's …
Today is Wombat Day, a day to celebrate those wonderful marsupials found only in Australia. The only time I remember seeing a wombat in the wild was as a child, on a slushy snowy mountainside, possibly Mt Buller, on a day trip with my family. It was probably the first time I'd seen snow too. …
I've been thinking about that 'back to school' feeling that many on this side of the world associate with the end of August and the beginning of September. For me, as I grew up in Australia, January was the long summer school holidays and the new school year began in February. August was winter, and …
Yesterday was not a good day. The weather in my hometown Melbourne can be so changeable we say it has 'four seasons in one day'. My mood is often like this too, but yesterday it was relentless cold drizzle with a major storm brewing. Anxiety that I could not shift until early evening when I …
Not the swimming kind of dip unfortunately. I quite often feel low, veering towards anxious, after lunch. Even after a good morning at my desk. So I am trying to develop the habit of sitting quietly on the bed after lunch, and reading for half an hour or so. I'm not a napper - if …
