As I sat in the church today I willed a butterfly to appear. A hundred of them softly floating around would have been perfect but just one would have done as a sign for the family in pain in the front row. Today was the day we said our goodbyes to Linda. Because she’d known […]

Ghosts on the radio
I heard a ghost on the radio the other day. I was meant to be going to my pilates class before heading to my clinic in Cornbury Park to see a client. A national radio programme was playing in the background as I got ready. I was about to head out of the door when […]

Looking For A Rainbow
We went looking for a rainbow today. As the downpour ceased and the sun shone momentarily through the clouds I knew it would be out there somewhere. So, throwing on our coats, we started off round the village. As we looked for rainbows we passed by the cemetery, peaceful behind the low walls, and I […]

Extreme politeness
How often do you say thank you to yourself? Do you ever utter those two words, not to anyone else but to yourself? Even being a polite person, I don’t think that I actually physically say those words to myself. Ever. Until tonight that is. Being technologically challenged, I just tweeted myself on Twitter, […]

Messing up on Mothers’ Day
When I was little I went with my Mum to buy her a Mothers’ Day present. In my innocent, five year old way she helped me choose a little dish, which I paid for with some money she gave me and then my Mum let me carry it home to give to her as a […]
Tonight I’m going to be…
Do you remember the television programme ‘Stars In Their Eyes’ where contestants impersonated showbiz stars, saying “Tonight I’m going to be…’”? They then disappeared through the doors, and reappeared in a puff of smoke as the famous singer they were going to impersonate. Well, yesterday, I decided to do an experiment on myself and become […]
How to Keep Your New Year Resolutions
As the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve many people here in Oxfordshire were filled with a wonderful sense of optimism and determination about reaching their goals and resolutions this coming year. That’s brilliant. You really can be all you want to be. Sometimes the initial enthusiasm lasts for a day or so, maybe […]

One More Chance
Several years ago I planted a hydrangea in a pot. For the first few years it grew well and then suddenly seemed to have had enough of life and gave up. There were no flowers and really no leaves to speak of. Just some stumpy brown wood. Being a haphazard kind of gardener I meant […]

Treasuring people
As the days and years tumble by it’s just so easy to take the people we love for granted, thinking that they’ll always be there. Sitting beside someone recently, who has played a huge part in my life but who is now in deteriorating mental and physical health, my mind kept floating back to all […]

Getting Inspiration From A Three-Legged Cat
Late one night, a few months ago, our friends’ cat called Poppet dragged herself home with a leg so badly damaged that it had to be amputated. Our friends nursed her back to health, and with just three legs, we re-named her Hoppet. I think most of us expected Hoppet to be left with limited […]