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Moving on with grief

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  THIS week I am writing about a sad event that happened just five years ago this week. ONE of my good friends took his own life on the evening of the 23rd June 2021, I tried to prevent what he did, but really, he was always going to do it, no matter how hard I tried to prevent it. And I suppose, sometimes, you just have to let people go, if that is ultimately what they want to do? The photo I have used today is one that David sent me, only a matter of months before he left us. It had walked in to his office and he decided to share the experience with me. He didn't really have any other friends, and he wasn't one for sharing things like this particularly, but it was the strange time of COVID lockdowns and he was quite isolated. I met David at the touring park campsite which he managed. I would stay there sometimes for a bit of a chillout weekend and do some writing. We made friends, and then I would occasionally work there for him as a gardener, doing weeding, pruning and pesti...
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The small pleasures in life will carry you through.

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 When I lived in my little pixie house in Totnes, I had a kitchen chalk board for my shopping list, I also had one for 'Happy Thoughts!' I used to write on my board weekly, with something that I was looking forward to, no matter how small or insignificant it would seem to others, that thing was special to me and kept me looking forward to something. Sometimes it may be as small as having something special for tea one day, I would write down trips away, running events, and even on quiet weeks, I would write down what I was going to watch on tv or read that week. I don't have one of these boards in my house now as we rent, and I have to admit that I want to find a way of doing it, because that daily visual would make me smile and help me get through the day if I wasn't having the best of times.  Do you do something like this? Do you plan things to make you smile every week? It's all very well having a big event like a holiday to look forward to, but sometimes you need...
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It's a new dawn, a new day, a new life for me.

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 THIS Friday 12th June 2026, I am celebrating 2,000 days without alcohol, and I'm feeling good! 'Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know? Butterflies all havin' fun, you know what I mean. Sleep in peace when the day is done, that's what I mean. And this old world, is a new world and a bold world for me.' I love the song, 'Feeling good' from Nina Simone, and I have to say I really love Muse's version, because I love Muse. But whoever sings it, look at the words, they are amazing. Being out in the world, enjoying all the moments that come your way, all the experiences of life lived fully without the haze of drink getting in the way. Sleep improves, and you can sleep better without the nagging doubt of the damage that your drinking behaviour has caused. No shame, no worry and no ill-after effects or hangovers to keep you down. And I can tell you absolutely 100% that the world will be new for you, you will feel bold, you will be abl...
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When life gets you down.

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 I wasn't going to blog this week. YOU see, I couldn't be bothered, I wasn't inspired, because currently, my personal life is more than a bit trying lately. Combine that with menopause and it exacerbates it ten-fold. SO I thought, you know what, I have nothing to say, I feel sad, flat, anxious, despondent, lacking any kind of positivity myself, so how can I pass on anything good to readers? THEN I thought, maybe you need to know that? To know that even people who are meant to be inspiring others 24/7 can sometimes just not be arsed because their own life isn't quite tip top? Here it is, the blog that wasn't going to be the blog because I couldn't be arsed, and actually, just writing this, I still can't be arsed, and I am guessing that is also coming across to you, so I have to make it worthwhile for all of us. HERE'S the plan......... STRESS CONTAINER - I've blogged about this before. CAN I do anything about the thing that is stressing me? ANSWER - N...
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Seasonal delights!

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  SUMMER is pretty much here eh? ISN'T the weather gorgeous? I went out foraging at the weekend and managed to get enough Elderflower to make a cordial, but not just any cordial, I made a sugar-free version using natural stevia and an orange. Recipe. 15 elderflower heads 1.5 tablespoons natural stevia liquid or 2 heaped teaspoons ground stevia 1 orange cut into 8  25g citric acid (you can get this from the chemist) Method. Wash and rinse the flower heads thoroughly, I soak mine for an hour in some water, shake off the insects and sieve. Put the flower heads, citric acid and stevia into a large saucepan and add 2 pints water. Squeeze the orange pieces into it and then add them to the pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20-30 mins, then leave in the pan to cool. When cool, using a muslin, pour into a sterilised bottle, refrigerate and use as normal cordial. FOR years I have made this cordial, but this is the first time using stevia for a natural sugar-free alternative a...
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How to stay healthy when disaster strikes!

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 I was chatting to my husband last night about being alcohol-free and the wonders of it, I made a decision to never drink alcohol again, well over five years ago now, but my husband just sort of stopped over three and a half years ago, no plan to, no commitment to forever, just stopped. I asked him if there was an occasion when he would ever drink again, he thought about it, and said that maybe if something really awful happened, maybe that was a default thing in people, but he couldn't be sure. He said, knowingly to me that he knew that I would never drink again, no matter what the circumstances, and I of course agreed. My time with alcohol is done. THIS topic is something that I have thought of a lot over the years as a personal trainer, and hypnotherapist. Because a lot of people use times of trouble as an excuse to behave badly where health is concerned, but actually, times of trouble are when you need to be completely on your game.  GRIEF is not an excuse to hit the bottl...
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Mental health awareness week

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 MY work consists of helping people, daily, with their mental health niggles. EVERY day brings it's troubles and stresses and how we deal with them makes all the difference to our physical health, alongside our mental health. WHAT I do see happening recently, a lot, is people going to the doctors and coming out with anti-depressants for things that shouldn't warrant it. They literally hand them out like sweets for the slightest change in mood.  Menopause - anti-depressants Grief - anti-depressants Moving house - anti-depressants Relationship breakup - anti-depressants Money issues - anti-depressants AND so many more daily stresses that can be sorted out with the support of friends and family. The things that can be talked out, sorted out and put into perspective, without the aid of prescription medication. I am by no means making light of any mental health issue, how we deal with any of the above issues and more is very personal, and a personal approach is needed. But that is ...
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