One week on

I try not to leave it a week between posts, but the last seven days have been a bit of a blur, what with household admin and chores, trying to earn a living and, you know, stuff. I did a bit of extra teaching last week, which took a big chunk of my time and rehearsals for a performance this Friday are picking up. Have I told you about this? Can't remember: more anon.

Anyway, there were a couple of happy publication results last week. I have an article in the current issue of Country Smallholding and I've had a short story accepted by You magazine. This latter is particularly pleasing, as it's been with them nearly a year! I also had a productive meeting with the publisher I'm working with on my yoga book.

I had a good day on Saturday at a yoga workshop (details here), then on Sunday I was privileged to be a judge at the Performance Awards of the Open Stage Performing Arts Company in Northampton. Students from age three to adult took part in dancing, singing and drama. The drama students performed monologues, which as you know are dear to my heart. It was a lovely do, and I came home with a splendid goody-bag that included the items above - and some chocolate that is no longer available to be photographed.

I wonder what this week will bring?

Stepping out of my comfort zone

The past workaday week was enlivened by a couple of unusual happenings.

On Thursday, I spent the whole day teaching yoga to Year 12 students at a local senior school. This was a real privilege, but I was shattered by the end of the day. No wonder full-time school teachers always have their eyes fixed on the next holiday! You can read about it on my yoga blog here.

Before that, though, on Wednesday evening I had a book launch for Nine Lives as part of a Weaving Words presents event. This is a new happening, organised by my friend and guide Kezzabelle (Weaving Words is her writing community, of which I am part).

To say I was nervous is an understatement, but once I got going I was fine. The event was held in the upstairs room of the Eden Cafe here in Kettering. We dressed the set, as it were, to look like my book cover, which was Kez's idea and made a real difference, transforming an already lovely room into a proper performance space. Our friend Ros played a couple of songs to get us in the mood and then off we went. I read three of my monologues, and two more out of my book were read by other people. There were poetry readings and there was art for sale.

I sold a few books and made some new friends, so I'm counting it as a successful evening. Most important, though, I learnt lessons about what works and what doesn't, and what areas of my performance I need to work on.

The only down side was the dent my ego took when I saw the photos! Inside - and I'm sure I'm not alone in this delusion - I'm 17 and gorgeous. The reality is that I'm old and jowly. Perhaps I should follow singer Sia's example and wear a long wig over my face.

Noises off

Following the excellent day I spent with Bridget from Wild Words recently, I've been focusing on covering all the senses in what I write. Sight and sound are the easy ones; touch isn't too difficult; but smell and, especially, taste are proving to be a bit of a challenge. I was writing a piece of fiction yesterday about someone sitting in a traffic jam (trust me: it's more exciting than it sounds) and couldn't think of a way to bring taste into it without really forcing it. 'He ran his tongue over his teeth and remembered that morning's fried breakfast' is lame and just a little bit unpleasant.

Anyway, I've been aware of sound in unexpected places over the last couple of days. In my yoga classes, for instance, I have a lady who insists that the gentle purring sound we often hear during relaxation isn't her. She says she even stays awake so she can work out who it is! Trust me on this, too: it's definitely her.

If you watched Would I Lie To You? this week, you will have heard Sheila Hancock telling a story about one of her stage appearances being interrupted by an audience member's attack of hiccups. (I won't spoil it by saying if her tale was true or a lie.)

Well, on Sunday, Mr Thorley and I went to hear the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Northampton for a concert that was brought to us by the letter B, featuring Brahms, Beethoven and Bruch. The gentleman sitting next to me, a jovial fellow who filled his seat well, was a hummer. I don't mean he was smelly, but that he kept joining in. Rather than being annoyed by this, I found it hard not to laugh out loud. Clearly, he was singing along in his head, but every now and then a bit of music escaped. It was just a little snatch of maybe three or four notes and I'm sure he didn't know he was doing it.

Bless him. He may well appear in a story one day.

Changing gear

While rumours of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated - I wish! - it is true to say that I've passed two of my yoga classes on to another teacher, the lovely Angela, who is taking over from next week. I've taught the last session today and was overwhelmed by the kind comments, cards and generous present. My Tuesday group was my first 'proper' class after I qualified, and I shall miss them all.

However, I'm not retiring, just making space. I shall now have more time to concentrate on editing and writing jobs, and perhaps my WIP books will finally get finished. (Pause for laughter here!) I've said before that I think that September feels more like New Year than January ever does, so I've just started a week early. Mind you, there was a lovely autumnal feel to the air this morning, so perhaps the seasons have started to change. My little conker trees are starting to go orange and my tomatoes are well and truly over.

So it's onwards and upwards. I wonder what other positive changes lie in store.

Celebrate the small things, 20 January

This is a politics free post!

Today I'm celebrating what has been a pretty good week. I've done lots of editorial work and writing, enjoyed a fair bit of music-based activity and gone for a little walk every day. More specifically,  though, I'm celebrating the extraordinary courage of a couple of my yoga students who are facing difficult times with grace.

On a more mundane level, while I failed again to get a decent photo of the red kite that was circling tantalisingly close to my garden yesterday, I did get of shot of this fine fellow, who obliged by landing on next door's extension roof.

Best of all, I have nothing planned for this weekend: bliss!

Join the celebration: share your news on the bloghop Celebrate the Small Things  hosted by  Lexa's Blog.
 

The bear facts

Yogi Bear

There was much hilarity at yoga yesterday. The room in which we hold our class is upstairs in the Methodist Church. Meanwhile, downstairs the Ladies' Fellowship meets for prayers and music, conversation and discussion, and sometimes a guest speaker. We have grown used to the gentle accompaniment of music floating up to us and they don't seem to mind us doing our thing in the Upper Room.

Of course, it's not always blissful. Sometimes the visiting speaker is a man with a deep, booming voice, and on one memorable occasion we were treated to the strident tones of the Duchess of Devonshire describing the wonders of Chatsworth at full volume - via a film, of course, not in the flesh.

Usually the ladies have a pianist, but yesterday's music was recorded - and loud. It began with a stirring rendition of 'Keep Me Travelling Along,' which was fine and made us smile. There was a pause, and some low murmuring before 'Teddy Bears' Picnic' filled the air, closely followed by 'Me and My Teddy Bear'. I'd been encouraging my ladies to focus on 'undisturbed calmness', but this was just too much. We just had to laugh. I can only guess at the theme of the afternoon!

Making good use of my time

My weekend

They say you're a long time dead, so with that in mind and given that much of what is going on in the world is beyond my control, this weekend I have been doing things that make me feel good.

On Friday evening, I ventured out for a walk in the dark around East Carlton Country Park, as part of the 'Our Woods' project that is going on in Corby at the moment. We were guided around by artist Carry Akroyd, observing the shape of the trees, the moonlight and its effects, the sounds, the smells, pausing every now and then for contemplation and discussion.

Then it was back to a hut for tea and cake and the chance to be creative. Well, I did my best at drawing, but in the end my writerly instincts took over and I crammed down as many words as I could think of inspired by what we had just experienced. I shall, I hope, turn them into something in due course. It was great fun and there was absolutely no pressure to do anything especially arty. It was an exercise in simply finding joy in creativity.

There were a few chores on Saturday, but I spent the afternoon doing some yoga with lovely teachers Jenny and Atim, focusing on boosting the immune system and nurturing ourselves in preparation for winter. There was flapjack and hot spiced apple tea, and a lovely supportive atmosphere. The hoop in the picture is made from newspaper and was employed in various balancing exercises!

Then it was a quick turnaround before dashing out to the Rolling In The Aisles comedy night, where headliner John Gordillo had us - you know - rolling in the aisles.

Today, I'm taking it easy. I've had a lovely walk and a good session with the Sunday papers - and I'm not planning on doing much else with the rest of the day.

Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.

Making space

Last night I taught a Wednesday evening yoga class for the last time. My other classes will carry on, but from next week this one will be in the capable hands of Claire.

I've been with this group for about seven years, which hardly seems possible. We've shared some good times. For instance, there was that memorable night in June when the council folk turned up at the school to set up for polling day and I forcibly evicted them for being noisy. Just because we're tranquil (ahem) doesn't mean you can push us around. Even last night, there was a funny moment when proceedings ground to a halt while a visiting spider was evicted, with considerably more care than the polling people, I might add.

Over the years, we've had news of new babies, weddings and other celebrations; and also some bereavements and other upsets. Through it all, my yogis have been loyal and turned up rain or shine to do some bending and stretching, some mindful breathing and some lying down.

I'm giving up this class to make space for other things, and it will free up quite a bit of time. It's not just the 90 minutes of the class itself, but also the half-hour either side for travelling and on-site admin: plus, of course the behind-scenes planning and follow-up paperwork. Perhaps I'll finally get round to writing that next yoga book. Watch this space.

Namaste.

The spice of life

Mixing things up a bit this week. Monday was a mixture of yoga and editing, as usual, but then in the evening I went to the Friends Meeting House in town for a fundraising event for the Tibet Relief Fund organised by the Northants Buddhists (multi-faith indeed!). We did some Tai Chi and Qi-Gong (which was VERY strange - in a good way) and a little yoga. Then we had a talk followed by meditation. It was a peaceful evening.

In complete contrast, I went to visit an engeering firm this morning to glean some information so that I can write some website copy. It was a proper grimy place and the desk in the 'office' was littered with peculiar-looking lumps of metal. I was quite happy - I love the smell of workmen - and I now know what it means to spark erode broken taps, which I'm sure will come in useful one day. The premises are tucked away in the far corner of one of Corby's industrial estates, where all sorts of businesses make a living: there's a crisp factory, a breakfast cereral manufacturer, body shops, workshops, IT businesses, kitchen-makers: you name, there's probably one there. Hm. I smell a sitcom!

Tomorrow I'm going to the launch of 'Our Woods', a festival of events to celebrate the woodlands of Corby through song, dance and light that will run from September to next May. Then I'll be dashing off to ukulele practice.

It's all go. I might find time to get a bit of writing done, too, if I'm lucky. 

Celebrate the small things - back under control

I'm finally starting to feel as though things are coming back under control. My workload has eased off a bit, so I'm no longer running just to stand still. My mood was lifted considerably on Monday by a fabulous Indian head massage by Sarah of Rainbow Butterfly Wings. Bliss!

Still get a buzz out of seeing my name in print

Tuesday was super-busy, because I taught three yoga classes and somehow forgot to eat, so I was a bit wobbly towards the end of the day; but a good talking to by a friend put me right and I was back on an even keel on Wednesday. The rest of the week has gone pretty well. I've done lots of work, including another article for Smallholder, and set up a meeting with a chap to talk about my writing some copy for his website; and there's been plenty of editing and proofreading, too.

I don't know what the weekend will bring, but I hope to spend some time outside to clear away more cobwebs.


Celebrate the Small Things  is a blog hop. Visit Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week. Originated by VikLit) and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog.  

Maytime celebrations

Welcome to this week's celebration of small things. Today, I'm celebrating the honesty of friends. I sent my writing buddy Elaine a story I'd written that I knew needed some work. Elaine has gently pointed out all that was wrong with it - quite a list, as it turns out - and I've heeded her advice. A revised version will be heading her way soon.

Also on the writing front, I'm celebrating finally getting my backside in gear and publishing a story in the Kindle store. It's the one that did well in the H E Bates comp, Scoring an Own Goal in Tennis, so I thought I'd give it a wider airing. I'm not expecting it to make my fortune, but at least it's out there. The link is here if you'd like to take a look, please and thank you.

Finally, this afternoon I've taught my first outdoor yoga class of the year: a one-to-one session with a lovely lady with a house in the country. It was glorious to do some Salutes to the Sun actually in the sunshine.

Have a lovely weekend, folks.

Celebrate the Small Things  is a blog hop. Visit Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week. Originated by VikLit) and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog.   

Modest celebrations

There is nothing in particular to celebrate today. Nevertheless, I feel as though I have had a good week. It's been the usual mix of yoga and words, work and socialising.

I spent Sunday afternoon with my mum, where we sat for several hours putting the world to rights. I don't know where she gets her energy! On Monday, my back made a peculiar clunking sound as I was working with a particularly glorious spinal rotation, so I popped along to see Brian, my osteopath. He was able to reassure me that I just needed realigning - a task he was happy to perform. He also released my piriformis while he was at it. I hadn't realised it was tight, but my goodness: I could tell he'd done something. I'm now skipping about like a two-year-old.  On Wednesday, I had a multi-chai meeting with my writing buddy Elaine, which was great fun as always. One day we will get around to acting on all the literary plans we make.

And that's about it. Just time to tell you that tomorrow morning I'm off to my first hot yoga session in the appropriately named village of Scaldwell.

Celebrate the Small Things  is a blog hop. Visit Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week. Originated by VikLit) and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog.  

Celebration time

Welcome to Friday's post and the opportunity to Celebrate the Small Things. It's been a busy but enjoyable week.
In addition to my usual yoga classes, I led another a meditation centre at the Not Just Words bookshop, which was lovely to do. We have another couple of dates pencilled in for later in the year.

On the editorial front, I went to Nottingham on Wednesday to meet the rest of the team of one of the magazines I'm subbing for. Highlight of the day was being introduced to the term 'speedbumps for the eyes' to describe unnecessary punctuation.

There's been success, too, on the creative writing front, with my entry to the Senior Travel Expert comp being announced as joint winner. It will be published on their website in due course.

And that's my week. How about you?

Celebrate the Small Things  is a blog hop. Visit Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week. Originated by VikLit) and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog.  

Feeling inspired

Welcome to this week's celebratory post, an opportunity to find something good to share with you all. There has definitely been a positive vibe in the air this week. Whether it is just post-Christmas glow or something more mysterious or ethereal I wouldn't like to say, but several people have told me they are feeling unusually optimistic about the coming year. I'll drink to that - and I can do, because I'm not doing Dry January this time. Well done you, if you've signed 'the pledge'.

Here, then, are my particular celebrations.

• On the work front, I managed to meet all my deadlines this week and even sent out some enquiries. (We'll gloss over the fact that a rejection came from one almost by return.) I've taught some lovely yoga classes, including a one-to-one with a lady who is making great progress. I'm not sure who is benefiting most from these sessions, her or me.
• I've heard that I'm on the short list for the H E Bates short story competition, which is gratifying. I'm not expecting to get any further, but it's nice to know I was in the judges' sights.
• I managed to keep my cool - just about - at ukulele group last night. Why don't people practise? Grr!
• Both my 'boys' are joining us for dinner tonight, so I reckon that's a good excuse for a sticky pudding.

Have a good weekend, folks.

Celebrate the Small Things  is a blog hop. Visit Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week. Originated by VikLit) and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog.

Nearly there: time to celebrate

Next Friday will, of course, be Christmas Day, but for now I have more practical matters to celebrate.
First off, did you get a fabulous sunrise today? As part of my drive to power through my to-do list, I have been getting up early this week, that is to say, before the sun, so I was at my desk for the view shown in this pic.

Second, I've wrangled a lot of words this week. As well as teaching five yoga classes and two one-to-one sessions, I've written 2,000 words on llamas and started a follow-up article, and finished the subbing/proofing of my two monthly magazine jobs.
Third, it's girls' night tonight. All round to Elaine's house for food and gossip.
Fourth - and this is actually the biggest celebration - Tim Peake is safely installed on the ISS.
Have a good weekend, folks.
Celebrate the Small Things  is a blog hop. Visit Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week. Originated by VikLit) and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog.

Busy, busy, busy

Celebrate the Small Things  is a blog hop. Visit Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week. Originated by VikLit) and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog  
Here are my celebrations for this Friday:
1. Aircon - I covered a yoga session in a gym this morning, and it was lovely to be able to work in a cool room.
2. The England women's football team, who really showed the men how it should be done.
3. Another busy week on the work front - which means I can't write any more today. Must dash!
Have a good weekend, folks.

Last Friday of the month

It's the last Friday of the month, so that means invoice day. My first celebration today is that I've had a good June, so I'm sending out some chunky bills today.

Second, the yoga workshop I'm running with friend and fellow teacher Penny has already had a good response, which is encouraging.

Third, our ukulele group played a few songs to staff and service-users at the local branch of Headway, 'the charity that works to improve life after brain injury'. It went well and it was a real privilege to be involved.

Fourth, my central heating boiler has been passed fit for another year. Every time it's serviced, the engineer warns me it's on its last legs, but it looks like we're OK for a while yet.

Have a good weekend, folks. 

Celebrate the Small Things  is a blog hop. Visit Lexa's Blog for the rules, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week. Originated by VikLit) and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge and Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog

IMHO

I used to have a small column in our local newspaper in which I could write pretty much anything I liked. I tried to keep it positive or, at least, reasonable. I've never written for the national press, but if I were to, I hope I'd maintain the same values.

I'm not a regular reader of the Mail on Sunday, but I gather from people who are that the stock in trade of Ms Liz Jones is to be nasty. On 26 April, she wrote a very snide piece about yoga, entitled: 'Yoga won't make you slim, dahling - just deeply boring.' Well! (Cue rolling up of sleeves and formation of some very unyogic responses to this.)

She is, of course, deliberately trying to rile folk, and won't give a hoot what I or any other yoga people think. In any case, we can rise above it with our 'sheen of smug self-satisfaction'. The whole thing made me splutter with indignation, but it also made me laugh because her writing is absurd. Three things in particular are worth a mention:

1. Her statement that Pilates is the thinking person's yoga - way to offend two groups at once;
2. Her conclusion that yoga is exercise for lazy people - words fail me;
3. Most breathtaking of all, her assertion that we all have orgasms when we are in the Downward-facing Dog posture.

I can only conclude that either I'm not teaching it right or that whatever class Ms Jones has been to it certainly wasn't yoga!

Om shanti, shanti, shanti.

Let's celebrate

To be part of the Celebrate the Small Things blog hop, all you have to do is put your name on the linky list on Lexa's Blog, and then post every Friday about something you're grateful  for that week.  

This week's celebrations are:

• Lovely yoga students at my workshop on Saturday and all my classes; what an amazing bunch
• A walk around Stanwick Lakes (it's amazing what you can do with an old gravel pit if you try) and lunch with my friend Will
• Learning to play Meat Loaf songs on my ukulele
• The arrival of a 'Save The Date' card for a wedding in September

How about y'all?

This is Tuesday

When I went to put the dustbin out at 7.15 last night, it was a chilly but dry evening. When I looked outside an hour later, the world was white. Commuting son was forced to have a night's emergency accommodation with us. The world is drippy today, as the snow is disappearing. Big thumbs up, by the way, to the council team for emptying the bins as usual, despite the ice rink in my road.

My main preoccupation at the moment is things breaking down. Having seen the attention lavished on my boiler recently, the washing machine has gone into a sulk and is making the most awful grawnching noise, as though it's been derailed. I fear a man will have to be called. More seriously, my computer has also started to play silly buggers, and my printer has just announced its memory is full - which is a surprise, because I didn't know it had one. I really don't have time for this.

However, I'm still basking in the comforting glow of a fabulous yoga workshop on Saturday with Andrea Kwiatkowski, and am clinging on to positivity: so here's a picture I took this morning when I went out to feed the birds.