Is that a word? The scent of jasmine is very soothing by my bedside.

I took a notion to see if I could float some candles on the water in the big bowl. Yes! The little glass dishes floated and gently moved across the surface. I then noticed that there was tidying and some rearranging and weeding to do there and it was incredibly soothing to work for half an hour beside the flames and the water.

Simply way too many emails/texts/messages.  Too much spam/junk mail. Too much information/noise. Too many commitments, too long a to-do list, too many demands on us. I'm not sure we were meant to live at this pace. Maybe at work, but in life in general?
 
The only one who can change this is us. No-one else is going to take a step back, have a rethink, make a plan...

This beautiful centaura scabiosa has appeared in one of the meadow areas this year. The odd thing is that although it is native to uk I have never seen it anywhere areound here, or anywhere else for that matter. I wonder how it got here?

.. is impossible to keep up with.

The most reassuring thing I have heard recently was from my energetic, efficient and well organised daughter who said

Mum,  no-one is keeping up!

Somehow it was like a great load off my mind :-)

..not keeping up!  It's too hot, though I know many of you will think my 23 degrees is blissfully cool! Must must must drink more water.

Biew from the hammock.

..I will try to just be.:-) 

 You lift me up when I am low - kind  and wise words from all around the world - it blows my little mind! Thenk you so much.

I was chatting to my lovely grandaughter who lives in the sunny south of France, and bemoaning the fact that it was raining. 'Go for a walk in the rain Grandma, it can be lovely' she said. I did, and it was.

I got togged up and set off. I had a nice chat with a neighbour, walked to the hotel and had a coffee, took some photographs...just moving myself always works for me. What works for you when you feel low?

Blissfully peaceful on the shore.

..in the big wide world, the more effort I put in to make my small conrner of it gently ordered. The more shouty the world, the more calm I become. The more uncertain, the more I am looking at the certainties - spring will come, the sun will set, the moon will rise, the robins will nest, I will have to decide what to make for dinner. The uglier events become, the more I look for the beauty and kindness - both easy to find all around me thankfully if I just take note. All this feels like a mild act of rebellion, or defiance!

I go through phases of following current affairs intensively, seeking out reliaable information and intelligent  comment, but sometimes for a spell I listen only to the headlines to know if the killing has stopped. If it hasn't, I switch off.

Just need to stay sane enough to help the helpers, which is the best I can think to do right now.

It's not much, but it's not nothing.

I have just had three very lazy days. They were lovely and the sky didn't fall in!

Are you starting to think of next year?  Will you choose a word for 2025?


This is one of the beautiful images from the Advent calendar I bought from Sarah Raven this year. Absolutely beautiful; it has been a daily pleasure. I must think of a daily pleasure for January. Any ideas?

..and building resilience, taking charge of our minds, learning the skill of happiness, making friends with reality, being strong whatever the situation, being happy no matter what....Gelong Thubten's approach to meditation is very proactive and positive and for me, right now, these seem like ideas worth exploring. (Hear hin on YouTube.)

I dug out this favourite card recently..

..bringing the outdoors in and experimenting with the stagelight edit on my camera kept me away from the news  today!

My self-imposed news blackout is about 99.8% successful I would say, and when I get the urge to listen to the news I try to find something creative to do instead. It's been fairly challenging...but nice.


Posted under Simply Chill and Simply Headspace.

Being in nature, being with friends, and learning to meditate will be my focus for the next ten days or so.

I was a bit surprised at how often I thought about listening to the news today, and by accident I overheard one set of headlines beforre I quickly turned off. This may not be easy, but this evening I do feel a bit more peaceful and quietly got on with some paperwork that needed doing. I might well catch up with a few things..,


Short blog break coming up. Be well.

..to this politics-free zone.

I am planning a news blackout for the next ten days or so. I am refusing to be caught up in any hype/speculation/gossip/mass hysteria, exciting though it undoubtedly is!

I do wonder if I can stick to this as I have always been interested in politics and current affairs, but I will try.

In fact I will DECIDE and stick to my decision.

I am finding being decisive very invigorating. Do you?

I heard Buddhist monk Gelong Thubten speak at Wigtown Book Festival. He spoke about meditation as a way of training your mind, so as to be better able to deal with difficult times, so although I am filing this post under Simply Chill it's not perhaps appropriate.  Thubten is not describing meditation as clearing your mind or chilling out but as a fairly challenging and rigorous practice.

Of breathing meditation -

Every time you return to the breath
you are becoming your own boss.

The whole garden is spectaculaly colourful this autumn.

..by Handbook For Hard Times. A Monk's Guided To Fearless Living by Gelong Thubten.

Expect lots of quotations!

..and do they really know better than you what is best for you?

I find it takes time to work out my own ideas, and to be an independent thinker I do need to be informed. I am very very choosy about who gets into my precious headspace! It's all too easy to be overwhelmed.

I want to stay sane and calm and will not let my nerves be wracked by the latest news/trend/scare/speculation/prediction..


Posting this under Simply Chill, Simply Headspace and Simply Live and am simply sharing what works for me :-)

You will know how I have been longing for some sunshine. Well, here we are - several days in a row of high temperatures and full sun - but I have to stay out of it!


I developed a rash around a tick bite and was prescribed an antibiotic as a precaution against Lyme disease. There was a warning on the label that bright sunlight should be avoided and although I covered up and wore a hat I have had an allerggic reaction with swollen lips and nose. Had to stop the medication and am being very cautious and staying out of the sun, but have to confess that I am feeling a bit sorry for myself. I am going to an outdoor wedding reception tomorrow and a red and swollen face is not a very good look!

This llittle robin is getting quite tame.

The sun shone and in a little rebellion against my sensible self I decided to buy only ice cream and roses.

I needed cleaning materials and carrots and kale and other sensible things, but I will shop for them tomorrow. Today I am having a holiday,

..it raineth all around..

Trying to stay positive!

I don't remember where I read ths.  I don't take it to mean you should supress your enotions, but to try to maintina a baalance perhaps. It reminds me of an old slogan by an insurance company - We don't make a drama out of a crisis.

Do you have a saying or motto to help you when the inevitable crises befall you?

Sometimes when I can't sleep only a cup of tea and a slice of buttery toast will do...

I am living life in a beautiful state of........(fill in your word).

Today it was  I am living life in a beautiful state of resting.

In sunshine I can just be.  Yesterday morning I set aside my lists and plans and projects and striving and thought today I will just be.

It was wonderful (and things did get done!)

..to start the day well, I've thought about how I wake and what I  think and see on waking, so what do I hear?

What do you hear? Tell me it's not a rmedia compilation of all the terrible things that have happened around the world while you have been asleep! To people you will never know, in places you will never see and whcih you cannot change  in any way. The more I think abuot this the more insane I believe it to be. Really. No rational person would do this. Instant stress.

We were not designed for this (children especially), and we wonder why there is an epidemic of mental health problems?

Not that we shouldn't take an inerest, but first thing on waking?

I have woken to the sound of aircraft taking off,  a milk float, noisy neighbours leaving for work,  a baby crying (mine), a call to prayer, a bellbird in a forest,  children arguing, someone else's radio, a noisy wren at 5am, the city cacophony of traffic  and sirens and boats on the river and helicopters in the air (London), sheep, peeweets,  a kiss,  lashing rain....

I waken to quiet now, a little birdsong and I may hear the early bus trundle by, but there isn't another for two hours. Love it and know  I am very lucky.

The native cranesbill doesn't flower fo very long, but it's lovely and totally undemanding.