Respect politeness, honour, and care shown towards someone or something that is considered important Cambridge dictionary When I was young, all the people I came into contact with were “ordinary” people, just getting on with their lives. I didn’t think surviving to adulthood was anything that commanded respect, so I didn’t see why I should…
How to Solve the Time Management Mystery
I was chatting about the Time Management Mystery with some creative friends the other day Actually, we were whining about how we have so much to do, and not enough time to do it in. And speculating how some of the creatives we’re inspired by manage their time. For the most part, all of us…
Thank You Mrs Sparkle
A curious thing happened today. DB and I went to our local village fair, and among the things we do every year, we went into the Church to look at the Art and Craft Exhibition. One of the pieces was an arrangement of hand-made bears, with a sign saying something along the lines of: These…
Remembering and Forgetting
Not long ago, Katy got in touch. And I was remembering that she taught me one of the most important lessons that I have ever learned. At the time we were the best of friends but lost touch around about 20 years ago after I moved to London for a while. We both had the…
The Joyful Memories from Gifts of Love
I took advantage of the recent gloriously summery weather to catch up on some washing, starting with the towels because they take the longest to dry. As I hung them on the line, carefully stretching and straightening them out so they dry square (and are easier to fold neatly), I realised I hadn’t bought any…
Understanding Choice and What To Do With It
A while back, almost at the start of this blog, I talked about a place for setting goals for choice. And when it came down to it, understanding choice – consciously making choices, not having them thrust on me. Mind you, that also came with the intention of getting good at cryptic crosswords and I…
Creating a Happy and Healthy Home
Recently there have been a lot of changes in the Blaelock Household, with the aim of creating a happy and healthy home. Mainly leading out from the transplant rejection scare, and consequently a need to redesign my working and sleeping environments. Happy and Healthy Sleeping Environment We started the sleeping environment upgrades a few months…
Your Hierarchy of Needs
In 1954, Abraham Maslow posited that all people are driven to fulfil a basic set of human needs. Essentially, you start from your most basic needs (at the bottom of the hierarchy) and work up. Only when you have satisfied your biological needs can you think about your safety. And not until you feel safe…
Electricity Humbug
The other day, our electricity went out, and I was a little surprised about how dependent on it we’ve become. Even though I’ve written about that before. Aside from the alarm not going off, the central heating didn’t kick in, the hot water tank didn’t stay hot, and even worse – the coffee machine wasn’t…
Taking a Short Break
I’ve already mentioned it’s the time of Great Regret and my action plan for getting back on track. And as it turns out, it seems that around about this time every year, I hit the wall and need to take a break. So I’m taking a few weeks off to do and see interesting things,…
The Happy Benefits of Overcoming Fear
One of the 2019 Emerging Writers Festival workshops I enjoyed was Madeleine Dore’s Reaching the Finish Line, but it was mainly about overcoming fear. Overcoming Fear of What? I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I tell you that procrastination is all about Fear. Fear is like cancer; it’s not just one thing. Big F…
How to Save Your Private Papers for Posterity
I’m working on a new book I’m hoping to release before Christmas, so over the last few weeks I’ve spent many happy hours snooping about in 150 – 175 year old private papers. Letters, notes, drawing – someone thought to save them for posterity My book concerns one of Victoria’s most significant men; Edward Wilson…