The Christmas frenzy is officially in full swing and we are all hurtling towards December 25 looking forward to all the overindulgences it brings. For lots of people though this time of year can be really hard, often because it has a nasty habit of shining a huge Christmas light on difficult issues. Grief, loss,… Read More Christmas stress and your mental health
The problem with achieving enormous feats, not just once but four times, like Chrissie Wellington is that it is easy for others to think being ironman world champion is all a bit of a breeze. But not so, her autobiography ‘A Life Without Limits’ is full to the brim of her agonising battles to succeed… Read More Review: Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington’s autobiography A Life Without Limits
Winter is well and truly here and, this week with a mixture of fog and rain, it has felt like daylight has never actually arrived. I live in a semi-rural location facing the Yorkshire Moors so once it is dark outside it really does feel very bleak. It can have a negative impact on your… Read More Getting some winter sun with a SAD light pad
Situated next to the picturesque Moors of West Yorkshire, Haworth is a small village with a big history. It would have most certainly been another forgotten Yorkshire place if an Irish vicar had not made his way there in 1820 with his children in tow. It just so happened that three of these children were… Read More Literary giants, breathtaking scenery and cafes galore – welcome to where I live
Today my hubby is flying to New York to run the Marathon. It’s been a gruelling 16 weeks of training for him, running after long days at work and spending weekend either doing, or recovering from, long runs. As a family it’s not easy either; it cuts into the precious family time we have which is… Read More The New York Marathon and finding family time
Every year it seems the fireworks for Bonfire night start earlier and earlier and if you have a pet of any sort it is no fun. We have two Basset Hounds who are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to coping with fireworks. Darcey on the left is completely fearless, we’ve had… Read More How to help your dog this bonfire night
Knowing the location of my first ever open water swim was going to be the highest beach in England and in late April, I had a bit of an inkling it wasn’t going to be warm. This been said, I was still excited when we trekked from the car park to Gaddings Dam in Lancashire… Read More Open water swimming – what it’s really like
My Instagram feed is currently a barrage motivational quotes from over -achievers consistently running marathons and climbing mountains. I just can’t seem to get away from memes telling me to ‘never give up’ or ‘you can do this’ or a personal favourite ‘you don’t get this ass by sitting on it’ There is a stream… Read More Toxic Instagram and why we all need a duvet day
Two years ago I bribed my son into going to Scouts – yes that’s right I paid him £2. I’d spent months badgering him to go and he flatly refused so my only option was cold hard cash. Predictably after just one session he loved it and within two weeks he was setting off on… Read More Why we need the Scouting movement now more than ever
It is a momentous weekend for us as we become the proud owner of a brand new teenager. Eye rolling and attitude aside, it is actually quite nice having a 13 year old around and, although I miss the years when he was a little boy, there’s much to celebrate in his coming of age.… Read More The proud owner of the brand new teenager!
