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…
How to Choose What To Do First
It’s been a busy couple of weeks. I have so much to do that I’m not sure what to do first. Or second. Or last for that matter. I’ve been sick, DB’s been sick and pretty girl’s been sick. She was so sick she slept through the last episode of Game of Thrones! (Actually, I…
What is Love?
I’ve been watching a few romances lately, and I can’t help asking, what is love? Bearing in mind the standard romance book/movie/song storyline where a person meets another person, falls in love, has a big fight, gets back together and lives happily ever after. Forever. And ever. And ever… What is Love for Teens? Modern high…
Stress Free In-laws Dinner Party
I have to start by saying you can’t have a stress free event when your guests stress you out. That makes today’s Stress Free In-laws Dinner Party a somewhat questionable proposition. If your in-laws stress you out, book a table at a restaurant and focus on deep breathing to help you get through the event. If,…
The Pleasure and Pain of your Mother’s Realia
The last of my mother’s effects recently arrived in the post. It’s a queer feeling. Particularly given her wind-up musical jewellery box pings now and again in a slightly creepy fashion. I haven’t fully investigated the box, but I lost half a day poking about in there remembering gifts given and received, wondering about the provenance…
Dealing with Assisted Death
Following a multi-party, Upper House inquiry into “end of life” choices; Victoria may become the first Australian state to permit assisted death. Not the first jurisdictional State; the Northern Territory’s Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995 was the first legislation of this type in the world but was controversially overturned by the Federal Government’s Euthanasia Laws Act…
In Memoriam Gwendoline Busby (1927 – 2017)
Gwendoline Dimes was born in the East End of London in 1927. She survived the poverty of the Depression and bombing during the Second World War but never really got over her evacuation or the death of her youngest brother. Gwen wanted to go “into service” so she could live in a Big House, but…
Why You Are Lost Without Your Family Photos
As you know, I have been making arrangements for my mother’s funeral, and I spent almost a whole day looking through family photos for pictures of her. They will be placed up large on a tv screen in the Chapel and small for the memorial card. Knowing that she cared a great deal about her…
The Perversity of the Business of Death
My mother’s last illness has reached its logical conclusion, and I am struggling to deal with the business of death. And now that I have lost both my parents, I am also struggling with my new status as a technical orphan. As Oscar Wilde said: To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to…
The Melancholy of Ghosts Passing in the Night
I’m back at home. I’m tired and a little jet lagged. I don’t yet fit back into the Alexandria shaped hole I left, and it feels like I have slipped into an alternate universe that is almost but not quite the same. Or that we are all just ghosts passing in the night. But at…
Alexandria’s Adventure in Morning Routine
Following my brush with the collapse of control, I have been noticing a lot of chat about “morning routine” in my podcasts and webinars lately, and there has been one thing that stood out for me. No one agrees on why you have a morning routine, but they all think it’s critical to use one: Craig…
The Important Place of Free Will in Destiny
After he read my post about Destiny, Toseland accused me of being depressing. Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for, but it does lead rather nicely into a somewhat philosophical discussion about the place of free will/autonomy/human agency in destiny. My Ancient Greek Stoics had the opinion that we make our own choices, choosing…