Wednesday 30 September 2015

making plans

I have lots of ideas for next steps with my writing and coaching. I am thinking about creating workshops and on-line courses. It is a very exciting time to be living in as we can teach ourselves new things and gradually build upon our knowledge and experience.
I used to think that when you left school you stopped learning but now I realise that once you leave school that is when your learning begins in earnest.
There are so many fascinating things to find out more about. I find it exciting working out what I am going to learn next!


Sunday 27 September 2015

finding a venue

I think I may have found a great venue for my book launch. It is rather quirky but then so am I!
I won't say where it is yet as I need to talk cost etc. before securing a booking.
This has been a wonderful weekend.
I have been camping in Detling with G and the hairy three.
We had a camp-fire and camped on a really lovely quiet site.
I have had such a lovely weekend and am very excited about the way my book is proceeding!
Ollie is sleeping it all off!

Monday 21 September 2015

the journey home

I was late back from work and so as I drove home it was dark. The rain was lashing down and it was quite hard to see where I was going but as I drove into the caravan park I felt elated as I was so happy to be home.
I cannot describe what a weird yet beautiful place this is.
My neighbours are great. It is so peaceful and I am surrounded by wildlife that I see on a daily basis.
Amazing!

Friday 18 September 2015

thinking about book launching

It is incredible to think that I am now at the stage where I am thinking about a suitable venue for my book launch. I would like it to be an interesting place to be rather than some corporate style affair which isn't really me. I think the event is likely to take place in December so this may well rule out many outdoor venues unless I can think very creatively.
My book is all about taking small actions to live a happier life and many of the suggestions do involve being outside so if an outdoor venue isn't possible it would be good to hold it somewhere with a nice view at least! It would be good to be in Kent as most of the people I know live there.
I have a few ideas and some lovely people have been contacting me with some really good suggestions.
If you have an idea then please contact me.
Thanks for your help!

Wednesday 16 September 2015

Bug Free Mind

When I read a great book I want to tell everyone about it so today's post is dedicated to Andy Shaw's Creating A Bug Free Mind.
It is basically the book I wish I had read when I started on my personal development journey as it explains things so clearly and offers step by step instructions on how to wipe away all the limiting self beliefs we develop as we become adults.
The book is so good that I have just finished it and am starting to re-read it all over again.
Reading this book is a bit like being given a manual on how to get the best from sophisticated technology...well actually that is exactly what it is doing. It is a manual on how to make the best use of our brains!
I almost didn't buy it when a friend recommended it to me as it is quite expensive but now I feel that the money spent was well invested.
I love it when books teach you something in such a way that it all starts to make sense.

Tuesday 15 September 2015

My book will be published soon!

I have just heard from the marketing department at the publishers. My book will be published really soon. I am very excited to be talking about launches and promotional events.
This is something I had always hoped to get around to doing 'one day' and it seems that the day is fast approaching!


Saturday 12 September 2015

technical advances in my caravan!

I have had a lovely morning. I drove over to Canterbury and did my shopping. I bought my groceries and an Acer Aspire with compatible printer.
I am very happy with my faithful old laptop that has served me well for years. This upgrade is mainly so I can save files in the formats that people require including my publisher. They have been very patient with me but every time I send them my manuscript they have to convert it into a format that they use and then send it back to me to check if there has been any formatting errors. There is usually one or two problems with spacing when files convert in this way.
Now my little Acer will cope with all the tech stuff.
I am very happy.
Everything is set up so now I can start to work on my talk that will be used to promote my book which should be out pretty soon!
I am so excited that I drove all the way back from Canterbury singing along to my Vaccines album in the car. I am pretty sure my friends and family are relieved that they were not passengers!
Enjoy the weekend everyone...:)

I love this picture of me as it is of me with a very sweet baby rabbit. Yes I know it has nothing to do with my post but that is fine with me!

Thursday 10 September 2015

Ups and downs

I have driven past two nasty accidents on busy roads in the past 2 days. There was nothing I could do to help and the emergency services were at the scene in both cases. I can't pretend that this doesn't affect me. It wasn't that long ago that I was in a nasty accident myself and these crashes serve to remind me how quickly accidents happen and the consequences can be significant.

After today's crash I was trying to put it out of my mind and was listening to the radio and was heartened to hear that it looks likely that Jeremy Corbyn will become the Labour leader. Young people have been inspired by him as he listens to their needs and he cares. It will be exciting if he does get in and gives politics the shake-up it badly needs.

Today is significant for me. I am not at school tomorrow. From now on Fridays are dedicated to writing and establishing my coaching business. This marks a turning point in my career. It is exciting!



Saturday 5 September 2015

The garden

The garden at Lydd is starting to get more established. A lot of this is thanks to two wonderful friends who love gardening and who have donated plants that they believe will survive in rather harsh terrain.
The little plants I bought are all still alive and getting bigger. If the weather is reasonably kind through the winter they could make it!

The plants that grow wild around here are remarkable. I see them every day when I walk Ollie. There is a sea-poppy with beautiful yellow flowers that seems to flourish amongst other things.

I have never been excited about growing plants before and I think I was missing out.
When I was younger I didn't think I had time for growing plants but now I realise that if I had made time for them I could have had a beautiful garden in my last house. 

It is lovely that every age we experience has its new pleasures as we learn about the things that truly make us happy. 

These plants were grown by my friend. Aren't they lovely?

Making a difference.

I was at my holiday caravan earlier this week and I noticed that someone had put a collection of home grown vegetables out for sale together with an honesty box. The donations went into a charity tin.
I really enjoyed eating the runner beans and the courgettes I selected knowing that someone had taken the time and trouble to do this.
Every day I see examples of people going out of their way to show that they care.
It is inspiring!

Friday 4 September 2015

The ripple will turn into a wave!

I felt happy when I heard that our government will accept more refugees. This shows that every person who spoke out, signed a petition and raised the profile of the Syrian refugees has been able to influence the situation in a positive way. The Scottish Government have been prepared to nail their colours to the mast and be specific about the number of people they will offer sanctuary to. I applaud them for this and would like our government to do likewise.
This positive step would never have been taken if it wasn't for people taking action and making their voices heard.
Never feel that you are insignificant.  You have an enormous potential to help make our world a better place! 😊

Thursday 3 September 2015

Dean Beadle is inspiring

Dean is in his 20s and has autism. He talks to parents, teachers and carers about his experiences growing up and how he developed strategies to help him succeed in life. I have been lucky enough to hear him speak today at our INSET day and I saw him a few months ago too. He reminds us of the important role humour plays in helping us to diffuse conflicts and points out people with autism do have unique challenges but in the end he reminds us that humans have more similarities than differences.
It is so important for us to remember this during these difficult times with refugees seeking a release from torture by fleeing their home desperate to find a place of safety for their family.
 We are basically human first before we start categorising people according to nationality, religion or condition.
We need to ask ourselves before we judge or condemn people for their actions.
What would we do if we found ourselves in a similar situation?

Wednesday 2 September 2015

Our words and our deeds.

I was walking the dog listening to the birds and the sheep and I realised that the dogs, birds and sheep have a skill that they lack. they are very good at living in the moment. I am not. It is something I am getting better at but this is a skill that they have mastered.

I realised that to be a good teacher you need to be good at learning. We can learn from everyone and everything around us if we are fully present in the moment.
I also realised that:
To be a good writer you need to be good at reading.
I acknowledge the power of our words. We are each unique and have our own special talents to share with the world and so have the people around us.

What we say to another person has an enormous impact even if they don't immediately show it.
Our actions speak louder than our words so what we do for others has an even bigger impact.

If today we can positively influence 3 people by smiling at them, helping them in some way or just really listening to them they are more able to do the same for others and we create a ripple effect that could potentially change the world almost overnight.




Tuesday 1 September 2015

releasing my inner hippie and cleaning the caravan!

One of the many lovely things about living in a caravan is the time it takes to clean the house and weed the garden. The garden took me 30 minutes yesterday and today I did all the cleaning and sorting in 25 minutes!
Those of you who know me well realise I am not really into housework.
I then decided to reward myself with a nice cup of tea. I went to the kettle and started to laugh. This puzzled the dog who came over to investigate.
I appear to have released my inner hippie big-time in the form of stocking up on copious amounts of fruit and herbal tea. I have Chai Latte, Moroccan Mint....you name it.
Today I have settled for a nice strawberry tea.
Cheers!

As I write this the sun is beaming down and all of a sudden I heard heavy rain. The sun is still shining.
I am off to look for the rainbow.
(Told you I am a hippie!)