I was never a natural singer. As a kid, I would sing along to my favourite pop songs but no-one ever stopped me in my tracks to comment on how good my voice was. I could sing in tune, but I had no style, no control, no technique. When I decided that I wanted to be a singer, aged about … Read More
Lacking Inspiration
As someone who might loosely be described as an “artist”, I have often found myself going through a creative vaccuum. I am in one right now, which is why I’ve not blogged in ages. There are often many causes surrounding such a funk and, on this occasion, it is that my mind is occupied elsewhere. Sometimes I find things so … Read More
To The Rescue!
We got three new additions to the menagerie today: Po, Phasma and Penguin. They are ex-battery chickens who had reached the end of their useful life so were due to become cat or dog food. Poor little buggers only stopped laying for a brief period as the moult but, any pause in egg production and they’re outta there! What a … Read More
Challenge Your Long-held Beliefs
Something we are seeing a lot of lately is the phenomenon of Cognitive Dissonance. Brexit. Trump. Creationism. Religion. Terrorism. People are not only refusing to accept new evidence or listen to different points of view, they double-down on their own position, regardless of what they are presented with. Take Trump, for example. Most rational people thought it was a bad … Read More
Why Goal Setting Is Important
It’s January 1st 2018, traditionally a time to reflect on the previous year and look back at achievements made. It is also a time to decide what goals you should set yourself for the forthcoming year. But why is this important? If you were on a boat, setting sail on the high seas, you would want to know where you … Read More
Phospha-what-now?
Phosphatidyl Serine. Nope, I don’t know how to pronounce it either, but I wanted to tell you about this somewhat miraculous supplement. My battle with depression is well documented and I have often posted or written about supplements that I have found helpful. The three that I always take to help keep my brain ticking over nicely being 5-htp, theanine … Read More
What’s Your Excuse?
Like millions of people around the world, I did some gym work today. Leg extensions and squats, to be precise. My gym is a bit different to most, however, as it is outside. Now, if you live in California or Barbados or some other gloriously warm, hot and dry climate, this would not be any kind of deal. In fact, … Read More
Is It Really THAT Hard To Say Sorry?
The past couple of weeks have really put my new-found ability to practise mindfulness in frustrating situations under the ultimate stress test. For a start, there has been an ongoing issue with my car. One of those annoying intermittent faults that you cannot track down, so the only solution is to gradually replace the most likely culprits until you hit … Read More
Feeling S.A.D.?
Now the clocks have gone back, tens of thousands of people in the UK will start the downhill trek toward Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D. – as apt an acronym as I have ever heard. I hate to use the word “suffer” – it makes me feel like a victim – but I do experience S.A.D. Over the years, it … Read More
Trick Or Mistreat
It’s the night before Hallowe’en as I write this. It is a special time of year for me, mainly due to the memories that it conjures up. You see, it was around this time of year, several moons ago, that my band – SPiT LiKE THiS – first encountered a whiff of success. One drunken afternoon, several months prior, I … Read More
