Well over here in the UK, (as in much of the world), the c-word continues to all-consume our daily lives in so many different ways and things now look set to get worse, before they get better. I’m sure by now, it’s obvious we each have different opinions on how the situation should be handled, often boiling down to our core values, experiences and life circumstances and therefore own subjective perspective. Let’s face it…we’re never going to fully agree, so I don’t want to talk about that now. No, no nooooooo…
But quite frankly, that did leave me pondering what on earth to write about. After all, despite having written blog posts, online and magazine articles for other publications, I find the prospect of writing posts on my own site just a little bit cringey and self-promotey (new buzz word right there). Hence to date, I’ve failed to post on a regular basis.
I digress. Rather than talk about my ‘wonderful’ personalised poems (ha!), I thought I would randomly mention a few of my own, personal favourite things which keep me semi-sane. We all have our own coping mechanisms (or hopefully do), for the tough times and our own set of worries and/or illnesses to contend with. These are some of the little things I love…
(Disclaimer alert: my family and friends are obviously in their own other-wordly category, along with writing, music and my own eclectic sense of spiritual stuff. This list is purely for the randoms and as such, listed in random order)…
1. Baths: Love ’em. Always have, always will. When we lived in hotter climbs, showers were usually more practical and far more refreshing. But back in chillier blighty, nothing quite beats a hot bubble bath on a cold day. And if I’m feeling indulgent, I serve it up with a book and glass of red (unless it’s morning, then tea’s generally the wiser choice).
2. Cheese, Chocolate and Wine: Throw in a loaf (and maybe some water), and I could happily live off this combo…maybe teamed with avocado and a handful of tomatoes or slice of pineapple say. Pears are nice, though only ever in season for an hour a year and I always miss that memo.
3. Getting Outside, Pilates and Sport: Anywhere outside really – though the less busy, the better. If I need a moment to escape the house, clear my head or re-connect to the universe or wider world; a trot round pretty streets or flowery fields does me the world of good. My eldest son often comes out with me nowadays and during the festive period, we enjoyed walking through the posher, genteel streets on the other side of the main road to ours. As it’s getting dark is our favourite time and we loved to spy all the golden-lit Christmas trees adorning the bay-fronted windows of the period homes we passed. Just beautiful.
I go to Pilates at a studio near my house (when it’s open), which I love. I’ve been going for quite some time and my teacher is fab. I’m not really very good but I have definitely improved over the course. The relaxation part at the end, where we get to lie down and drift away for a few moments is heaven.
More recently, we’ve been playing tennis as a family, following my eldest son’s tennis lesson uptake. I had forgotten how much I actually like playing sport and it’s lovely to have something fun we can all do together, particularly when like most people…we can’t really see anyone or do much else. Hmmm. I wonder if the tennis courts will have to shut again…
I would also like to look into joining a ‘back to netball’ team, whenever that kind of thing is back on. Not to be in a league or anything scary; just for fun. Again, this is something I’ve not played since school, but as my lovely mum in law once told me – as we get older we often find our way back to those pursuits we loved as kids. Just hope I don’t break a hip!
4. Spooky Tales & Historical Fiction: Oh my goodness. Books should really be higher up, but as I did say…this list is in no particular order. In a nutshell, books have been my thing since I was little. A couple of early favourites alongside my huge library of ghost stories, was Helen Cresswell’s, ‘The Secret World of Polly Flint,’ and Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches.’ Magic. I was a very imaginative child and anything spooky or mysterious intrigued me. Still does. I read Daphne Du Maurier’s classic, ‘Jamaica Inn’ this time last year. It’s set in the remote west country and was perfect winter night reading.
These days, I also love a bit of crime drama as well as any of Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction books. She was the author of, ‘The Other Boleyn Girl.’ I don’t know why, but that era with all of its royal drama just really, really fascinates me. Perhaps I was there in a past life? Maybe one of them threw me a coin or a maggoty apple as they passed by or something…
5. Candles and Fairy Lights: I light a candle pretty much every night and love a string of fairy lights. In fact, I’ve always had a strange thing about dim lighting in general, whether it be at home or out in a restaurant. My husband often complains he can’t see anything in our house due to the minimal amount of lighting I use. But what can I say; I just like an atmosphere.
So there you have it. What random things keep you going?
Deborah xx