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Do you lie awake at night thinking of everything that’s happened that day and wondering what’s going to happen tomorrow?  Are you finding it difficult to remember things? Do you worry constantly about conversations and actions far longer than is helpful?  Do you get stuck weighing the pros and cons to the point of being unable to decide? Answering yes to even one of these questions could mean that that you are ‘overthinking'.                       Most of us do this at some point.  Some of us do it much too often.         Thinking about the things that could go wrong when going to a job interview, or an exam or a driving test.  We all know the numerous possible scenarios – you may want to talk to someone you don’t know well at an event but as soon as the thought enters your mind, you just can’t help thinking about how the situation could suddenly spiral into chaos. What if you trip up as you walk over to them and everyone else turns to look? What if they don’t like you and they’ve

The Observer She sits, motionless yet alert  Eyes wide and searching Wings folded, feathers smoothed. Relishing the remaining tastes of vole or rabbit. She waits. As wind blown leaves drift into sight Her gaze stays on the gloved hand  which she knows holds treats. Then the call and in one majestic moment, with wings spread,  talons ready to grip  She soars from her perch  Landing with open mouth to snap the morsel.  

As King Charles III assumes the role of monarch his views and opinions on 'faith' will no doubt again be discussed. From those he has voiced in the past, and most recently since the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, these views could be different enough to affect the 'established' Church of England, so could "all faiths and none" be workable in practice, within the monarchy?  A royal wedding or funeral, without doubt, reminds us that the official, established Church of England continues, with the monarch as its Supreme Governor. Since Queen Elizabeth’s death we have seen it in the ascendance of Charles, yet there are signs that the late monarch and the Church of England have recognized the need to make some adjustments.         In 2012, the then queen spoke from Lambeth Palace, the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. She said that the Church of England's role is not to defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions, but

Her Majesty the Queen died yesterday afternoon at Balmoral where she had been staying since earlier this summer.                     Though we know that death is an inevitable part of life, when the time comes for a loved one, family member or friend, we are shocked and numerous emotions engulf us as the grieving process proceeds. The Queen had a special place in our hearts, not least because she was 96 years old and had reigned for 70 years.  Waiting for the official announcement of the Queen's death was a strange and unsettling feeling, for me and for many others. When it was made, the sense of shock was no less than if I had known her personally and this is what made our Queen so special. She has been a constant in our lives, during good and not so good times over the years. She has been here for the whole of my life. She has been loved as a mother, a grandmother and a great grandmother and I am reminded of my own mother and grandmothers, the loss being as raw today as the day t

Storytelling - the Ultimate in Self Preservation What is a story ?  A story or narrative is a connected series of events told through words, in the case of a book, written words. Stories can be told about anything, and the events can be real or imaginary, fiction or non fiction and cover every topic, genre or style imaginable. All things and all times, past, present and future can be described and explained in stories and are therefore  of great value to humans and some of the oldest, most important aspects of life.  Stories are how we learn about each other, our past, and our cultures. Whether they are created for entertainment or to recount a real-life event—new stories are literally being lived, told, and created every second of every day. History of storytelling As modern humans, we have the convenience of information available at our finger tips, and often take for granted a time when communication and access to knowledge was not instantaneous. Knowledge of history, medicine and f

 On reaching sixty five years old ...  Until around 2010 I'd imagined my 65th birthday to be more of a milestone than it's turned out to be, though the words 'pension' and 'retirement' age are so ingrained in my past that it is inevitable that they are still on my mind now that the day has come, and gone.  (25th July for anyone interested; I was too busy celebrating with my family from 23rd onwards - and managing to stretch the 'birthday period'  to at least the second week in August - to write a blog post, on the day).  Over the last few years, there have been a number of significant changes to the State Pension entitlement for women.     Between 2010 and 2018 the age  changed from 60 to 65 for women  and  is now increasing in stages, alongside men, until it reaches 68. At the moment, it is forecast that I will receive mine at age 66 next year, but I have no expectations whatsoever that this will actually happen. I feel that it's more likely to be a

I thought I ought to write a post here, on the day that temperatures are likely to exceed the highest we've ever known - after all, it might be a day, week or month which is remembered in history for this very thing.  Or, sometime in the future, it may even be noted as the time when we had relatively low temperatures compared with what they are then experiencing - in say, 2072 and beyond, whether due to climate change or not.   While the Met Office seem to often  say  "since records began in 1914" to describe any kind of record topping  weather (such as 2007's 'wettest summer'  and 1976's 'heatwave'),  there are of course records that go back much further. Rainfall and snow is measured by the 'England and Wales Precipitation Series', which  goes back to 1766, and the 'Central England Temperature Series' which covers the temperature from the south Midlands to Lancashire, and dates from 1659. Many records have been kept on a personal

  The sky has changed from earlier this morning from a hazy grey to a brilliant, clear blue. White cumulus clouds float motionless above the roof of the house and the sun shines hot on the back of my neck and uncovered head. I have crossed the causeway to the sounds of herring gulls screeching their familiar call. Now the sound has changed to the gentle chirruping of reed warblers as they dart in and out of the wet marram grass, which blankets this part of the island from the dunes on the sand to the gorse bushes around the pond.  The old windmill still stands, tall and sail-less as it surveys the shore, watching the endless tides ebb and flow, day in day out, through all seasons.    It was winter the first time I met you here. You stood on the turrets of the mill, waving and calling to me as the wind tried to blow you from the top. Your words sailed away and out on the tide leaving me not knowing what it was you’d said.  The door of the house opens outwards into the heather-like patch

I have recently read again Julian Baggini's "The Ego Trick',  a brilliant book which looks at   "the nature of  s elf in an entertaining and comprehensive,  easily understandable way". http://julianbaggini.blogspot.com/2011/03/ego-trick.html Definitely recommended for anyone interested in exploring what it means to be 'you'.  On first reading I was inspired to write 'Thought Experiment', so thought I'd bring it around again.  Thought Experiment Imagine yourself as created all at once, yet perfect and whole, but your sight has been veiled from the external. Do your feelings then come from the soul? As you fall without any resistance,   through the void;  each body part separate, untouched - then reflect in the glass of experience and affirm the existence of self. (Ref: “Floating Man” – Avicenna  cited in "The Ego Trick" Julian Baggini ) Why not now read Baggini's book ? The Ego Trick Any comments welcome. 

(200 words or less on the theme of 'glass')   Diving for Pearls What you see is what you get. That’s what I used to tell people. But lately that’s not quite true.  It seems that there are elements of myself that cannot be seen but are certainly there  and almost conscious, almost tangible, but not quite.  I recount my memories and they write down my stories though I don’t really remember  some of the events that I recall. They seem pleased when I describe particular things and it’s easier to go along with them than question it. It’s not my problem that they need to search for who I am.  The looking glass has always been my confirmation of that.                                         So I talk their language and I take their pills and now when I see more than one reflection in  the mirror, it is no longer a contradiction but a truth. They say it’s DID - Disassociate Identity Disorder. I say, it’s only me. I am multi-faceted. I know now that I am more than a clichéd thought, bec

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will officially rename Monkeypox, following concerns about stigma and racism surrounding the virus which has allegedly infected over 1600 people in more than two dozen countries.  The WHO’s director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has announced that the  organisation is working with partners and experts from around the world on changing the name of the Monkeypox virus and its ‘clades’ (from the Greek ‘klados’ for ‘branch’) and the disease it causes. A clade consists of an organism and all of its descendants; for example, the shared ancestry of apes and all of that species descendants would comprise a ‘clade.’   T he  WHO has said it will make announcements about the new names as soon as possible. Monkeypox in the UK Although more people have been diagnosed with it recently, only a small number of people in the UK have had Monkeypox and the risk remains low. It is extremely unlikely to catch Monkeypox without close contact, such as touching