Sometimes it really was a run – down School Road once the morning bell had gone, up School Road as you raced back with your friends.
Other times it was a walk, a scoot, a dwardle and a climb.
Parenting raises deep questions about who we really are
Many of the conversations I have at the school gates, on football touchlines or in cricket pavilions are really conversations about identity.
We think we’re talking about the 11+ or goalies or whether it’s better to learn classical piano or bass guitar – but what we’re actually talking about is who with think we are. Continue reading “Parenting raises deep questions about who we really are”
Personal power: We can make people feel good all day
Something happened on Kings Heath High Street that made me feel good all day. Whenever I remembered it, I smiled. If I felt a bit low, I just had to recall that thing and I felt happy again. And again. And again.
So what was that thing? Continue reading “Personal power: We can make people feel good all day”
Tony Iommi inspires me to make art
For the first time in my adult life I look out to the world and don’t know what to do. The problems of Brexit Britain seem overwhelming. The world-at-large with Trump in charge is terrifying and yet I trust no political party to steer us through. I don’t know who to vote for, who to march for, or what to say any more. Continue reading “Tony Iommi inspires me to make art”
Cruising for introverts
Casinos, karaoke, making the deck of the ship throb with the lights and sounds of Ibiza…this was some of the “fun” promised to guests setting out on a Caribbean cruise by Carnival Cruise Director Felipe Curato this week. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have disembarked straightaway. Continue reading “Cruising for introverts”
Fertility Fest: Why do one in six couples feel alone?
A very good question is going to be asked in Birmingham on Saturday, 28 May 2016. If one in six couples experience some form of infertility, why do they feel so alone? Continue reading “Fertility Fest: Why do one in six couples feel alone?”
Words – what matters most at a wedding
When I was preparing for my wedding, someone (I can’t remember who) said: “The most important part of a wedding is the photographs.” She was a little shocked when I said we weren’t going to have a photographer as such – just three friends taking candid shots and giving me their films the following week. Continue reading “Words – what matters most at a wedding”
Hanging by a thread – work, motherhood and the path of life
Every so often, I am invited to talk about work, motherhood, work-life balance – that kind of thing.
My response is that I’m the last person to claim that I “have it all”. On the contrary, my life feels very precarious. Continue reading “Hanging by a thread – work, motherhood and the path of life”
Loneliness: Accident or Injustice?
I am delighted to announce the publication of Loneliness: Accident or Injustice?
Loneliness: Accident or Injustice was commissioned by the Diocese of Oxford (Board of Mission) and the Archway Foundation in response to research by the Church of England and Church Urban Fund which found social isolation was the most wide-spread social concern of our time. Continue reading “Loneliness: Accident or Injustice?”
Loneliness and rural communities
Living in the countryside brings its own risks of isolation. The perception that close-knit rural communities provide a buffer against loneliness might be the reality in some areas but it’s by no means true for all. Continue reading “Loneliness and rural communities”