My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
Christmas is over and we have finished celebrating the arrival of a new year. It’s now a time when we can look forward to the wonderful gifts 2018 can bring. We all hope for health and happiness for ourselves and for those we love and we wish for world- wide peace and an end to …
There are lots of things we disagree on. Some things are inconsequential – a matter of taste – tea or coffee, cats or dogs. Some things are cultural, embedded in our way of life, important to us morally, such as choices about religion, matters of lifestyle. We all know that we have the freedom to …
In 1878, in the area where I now live, a house was being demolished and a secret room was found. Inside, a witch's ladder was discovered, an armchair and six broomsticks. The ladder was made of knotted cord, with feathers woven in to it. It was used to cast a death spell. The local area is …
It is autumn now. There is something new, something sharp, a scent of change in the air every morning and the fields are damp. A soft mist rises and leaves are already falling from trees. Autumn is a time when, if it's not raining, it's good to go for a walk and breathe cool air, …
Sometimes I think the world has always been crazy. If I go back to the time of my parents, their parents, I find story after countless story about those who are on the inside and those who are on the outside. It doesn't always matter who the insiders are - they often have different faces …
It doesn't matter what you call it: flu, man flu, fever, viral infection - it's not serious, there's not much you can do about it, but it feels miserable. Symptoms include a high temperature, fatigue, headache, sneezing, coughing, diarrhea, abdominal pain, sore throat. I have all of these symptoms, plus aching joints, aching ears, swollen …
Continue reading I got those viral infection blues. Thank goodness for cats.
I have been massively impressed by the recent efforts of Planet Rock's DJ, Wyatt, who has cycled over a thousand miles in the bitter cold and raised well over forty eight thousand pounds for CALM. Not only was it a plucky journey in punishing conditions, but it was also an excellent way to raise awareness …
Continue reading Winter blues? This will help to sort it out.
So many crises have been screamed from newspaper headlines this summer. We’ve read about the post-Brexit panic and the disharmony in both major political parties as new leaders put themselves forward. Politicians have been maligned and rejected and new leaders have emerged. We’ve read about the queues at Calais, the dreadful attacks in Nice and …
Continue reading Happy September! Let’s bottle summer and keep it alive through the cold months
Dancing is such a great way to celebrate and to enjoy how our bodies react when we're enveloped in the rhythm and the emotion of music. I have decided this summer is all about spontaneous dancing. When no one expects it. Unplanned. Grab someone by the hand or just leap onto the table by yourself, …
Continue reading We should dance more! Join me – become a crazy dancer..
This weekend, four of us bundled ourselves in an old Peugeot Estate with heated seats and we hurtled up to Loughborough for the Wordsmith Award Ceremony. It didn't take us too long to get there from the sunny South West, but there was an exciting whirl of a snowstorm in Tamworth and by the time we …
That quintessence of dust 