All Fingers and Thumbs

The newly blossoming easy breezy part of my self is rather delighted that I started this TGIF practice and then immediately missed posting for two weeks. The strict disciplinarian part is raising an eyebrow but she's secretly thinking the grass is rather green and lush over on the easy breezy side! This week there is a new trust in the cycles of my body. Grumpiness at my tiredness on Bank Holiday Monday when there were so many things I wanted to DO was released much more quickly than ever before. I tried to just be grateful I didn't have to work - sank in to the resting - took a nap, started a new novel and then a sweet, caffeine boost saw me out for an evening dinner and walk and a beautiful end to a lovely weekend. Next day, energy to scoop up the essential tasks left aside the previous day. Who knew it could be like this? I am so grateful  to be feeling the rewards of all my healing work these past eighteen months, my body is stronger and happier if not day by day, certa...

I am in the clutches of obsession over a new project and it feels delicious. Inspiration hit yesterday and only the possibility of making my fingertips bleed shoving the needle through the firm fabric stopped me stitching! I've been weighing up how to remodel a rather grubby and too sugar pink laptop case that was rescued from someone's rubbish months ago. On Monday I suddenly knew it had have trees embroidered on it. The catalyst responsible for this happy creative action was a tour of some North Oxfordshire Artweeks open studios  on Saturday afternoon. Fabulous company , wonderful things to look at and scenery to tour through. We finished in the cosiest, arty cottage - think log fire, flagstone floors and a tumbling cat and and dog - relaxed, colourful and layered with life and lovely things. It illustrated exactly what home means to me and gave me a new appreciation for my attempts at curating chaos and feathering my nest. I thought that was my big gift from th...

As I sit here trying to type out my first TGIF post following the example from The Gifts of Imperfection I am forced to acknowledge that one thing perfectionists hate is having their practising observed when they are engaged in something that matters deeply; so much less scary to deal with all of that in private and only let others see when things are more polished!  I guess that is where I'll start then:  Trusting  that undertaking actions like this that make me feel all squeamy are a brilliant way to be vulnerable and practice living authentically. I am so Grateful of course for the book that is inviting me up to my edges and drawing me out and for the things that do that in everyday life, some gently,wonderfully and almost without me noticing (hello spring, hello flowers) and some painfully such as feeling sad on Wednesday without any apparent cause. From that sad place I sought external words of wisdom prowling around the blog world and was enormously ...

Two words to sum up a week relaxing down in Cornwall at my Mum and Dad's slice of lovely. Three and bit novels inhaled - probably more reading than the rest of the year combined. Lots of gentle meandering walks in their garden and by hedgerows, enjoying the abundance of the plant world springing forth. Coming back in for cups of tea, treats with clotted cream and diving in to reference books to identify the more mysterious of the plants observed. Every day I feel like I learned so much and filled up the space in my brain that normally churns over the work dilemmas du jour with little gems of knowledge. One of my favourite learnings: the Latin name officinalis  comes from the word officina , used for the storeroom of a medieval monastery where medicines were kept. This is why it is given to many plants from which drugs can be obtained, such as for the beauty  Taraxacum officinale  or Dandelion pictured above. Letting that information dance around my brain i...