Learning to Love my Wounds
It’s easy to be self-critical and see the marks of the passage of time on our body as faults, but there is a lesson in self-love to be learned from the beauty of mature trees.
Healing Through Growing Blog
Get Outside!
'You can be miserable anywhere, so GET OUTSIDE!' I took some good advice from a friend on a miserable day and my garden took care of the rest.
Mindfulness and the Call of the Wild
When my head is full of cobwebs my garden calls, and as I immerse myself in the wonder of nature, my head miraculously clears and the world is wonderful again.
A Miniature Expedition
When the outside world is too big to face and you don't have the energy to re-connect with nature outside, a cheap microscope opens whole new avenues of connection and beauty to lift the soul.
Spring in My Steps
Recovery is a frustrating business with lots of twists and turns. Today a bumblebee helped me to navigate a corner.
Baby Steps Towards Recovery
Should I be resting or moving? Learning how to take baby steps and manage frustration is a huge challenge in the early stages of recovery or after a relapse. Sowing a few seeds is a manageable activity that gives a sense of achievement and anticipation.
The Lockdown Blues
For some, lockdown means isolation and loneliness, for others the relentlessness of living in close quarters with other people. Thank God for my garden and the freedom it gives me to choose between isolation and companionship.
Healing my Inner Library
OK, so this has nothing to do with the natural world and growing, it is all about the inner world and healing the damage that fibromyalgia et al do to your mind and mental capacities. Sometimes when you sit down to write surprising things happen.
A Single Rose can be my Garden
When dark wet days and miserable headlines engulf you in worries about the future, nature has a knack of catching your attention and providing some perspective.
A Sloe Walk Down Memory Lane
A canal-side walk on a sunny October day brings me close to my Nan and childhood fantasies around her illicit brewing habits.
Into the Woods
The recovery ‘journey’ may be a cliché, but there are few better ways of understanding the ups and downs, the twists and turns, involved in finding one’s way back to full health. The journey is a hard one, but sometimes the most difficult part is not looking too far ahead, learning to focus on the path under your feet and to find companions to share the highs and lows along the way.
My illness has meant that I have had to give up my work and so I am now looking to find a new career through my writing. If you have enjoyed this page and would like to encourage me to produce more, click the coffee cup below to make a small donation; no strings, no fuss, just a little, 'Thanks, keep it up.'
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I have categorised my blogs by the 8 segments of the wheel of life, as identified by The Chrysalis Effect. These need to be addressed and balanced for effective healing and sustained good health. Click on the Categories tab to search through these, or the Tags tab for more detailed searches.
All of the photos that accompany my blogs are my own. I find that taking a camera out with me helps me to notice so much more of the beauty and detail of the world around me. When I've taken a photo I try to stop and watch whatever I've been snapping, so I appreciate it in real life and not just through the lens.