Life has been a little up and down for me lately. Not enough hours in the day. Too many things to do in too short a time. Too many demands and a head that refuses to 'shut down' the busier life becomes. If you can relate--read on. This photograph reminded me of the many facets of life and how much we are supposed to 'cram' into it in any given day. How to cope? Nearly two decades ago, my only coping mechanism was alcohol. Today, I'm pleased to report that taking a drink to nu

Some days it feels like everything is too hard. "Struggle" is the word of the day and all I want to do is go back to bed, pull the covers over my head and pretend the world isn't out there waiting to get me. Then I look out the window at my garden. Have I told you how much solace I get from my garden? As I write this, I can hear a local thrush outside calling. She's been regularly visiting since the start of the grape season. She keeps on coming down and picking over the last

You know the feeling. All the best intentions and then...Bam! Out of nowhere something gets in the way of your well structured new routine/hobby/exercise program/resolution... Fill in the blank here. I don’t know about you (and I’ve talked about it before) but it’s so easy to find yourself ‘trudging’ along, getting on with whatever the ‘new thing’ is--for me it was usually trying to stay sober, or embarking on some new fitness regime, or changing my diet--and you get side-swi

This post could easily have a sub-heading, "How to Manage the Unmanageable" or even, "My Stationery Obsession" :-) I was thinking about the way that I keep my life and my tasks in order. I like to think that I’m a modern woman who’s embracing technology. I mean, I own an iPhone and a Mac and I have a number of electronic organisers loaded on both of those devices. However, I find myself gravitating (always) towards coloured paper, note pads, diaries of all descriptions and gl

When I practice gratitude it helps me to look for the positive things, people and influences in my life. It makes it easier to build a shield against the negative that I'm constantly bombarded with--one of the reasons that I'm extra careful about the media (and social media) that I allow to enter my life. Some days it feels as if the world is out to make you feel bad--maybe it is! Maybe advertisers have learned that if you're not feeling good, then they can convince you to bu

That goal setting thing…yeah, that used to be me. Today, I still set some goals, but I know that I’m in a frame of mind to meet them and I know that they’re moving me towards a larger and better life for myself. I was talking to a friend last night. He happened to tell me that this time twelve months ago, he set eighteen goals for the year that’s just gone. Six months into 2018 he’d achieved only one goal from his list of eighteen! Something had to change. My friend (bless hi

Quick, easy non-alcoholic drinks to make at home

It’s all about the morning habit--and I’m not talking coffee here! If you know me (and you should be getting to know me by now) you’ll know that I’m all about the routine. Routine! Routine! Routine! It’s my go to war cry. So, with your new morning game plan figured out, now’s the time to not only put it into action, but now it’s time to make this puppy your new morning routine. You may be asking me, but why is this important? And my answer would be, because you want to make

Mornings are oftentimes busy and can even run into the chaotic range--especially if you have ‘little people’ to deal with. Ask anyone how their day has gone endeavouring to get ‘little people’ out the door and they’re quite likely to share tales of woe, abandoned breakfasts and frantically prepared lunch boxes. It’s sometimes not any better if you only have yourself to get out the door. The good news is that it doesn’t always have to be this way. With a little careful pre-pla

“I love mornings.” That’s a huge statement coming from me, considering that I used to believe I was a ‘night owl’ and that mornings were repulsive things sent to torture me for all my earlier wrongdoings. That might seem a little over the top--but when you’re a drinking half a bottle of ‘something’ to put you to sleep at night--you can understand why I thought mornings were the work of the devil. Today, it’s a different story. I’m up as soon as the early dawn light filters in

Have you ever noticed how tough it is to make decisions the closer you get to the end of the day? You’re too tired to decide what you want for dinner, never mind making something healthy. That’s because we all have a finite number of decisions that we’re capable of making in any one given day. That’s where making a list and prioritizing becomes the backbone of your life. Personally, I can cut out a lot of decision making by making sure that I have sound habits and routines in

As we’ve previously discussed, creating new habits isn’t easy. You could try these six simple hacks that may well make it a little easier for you. You can use them until you’ve internalized your new habit and don’t need them anymore. Can you piggyback the new habit on an established habit? If at all possible, stack your new habit on top of one that’s already firmly in place. For example, if you have a regular cup of coffee or tea at the same time every day and you’re trying

I don’t know about you, but when ‘the experts’ (whoever they are!) say that it takes 21 days to create a new habit, I’m not impressed. Why? Because I’m an “I want it now!” kind of girl. Why can’t I just flick a switch and change things around? How come there’s all this freakin’ hard work to be done? Who needs good habits anyway? Really, with that kind of mindset I sound like a two-year-old having a tantrum and that’s pretty much how I behaved throughout a large portion of my

Contrary is a word that was often used by my parents to describe me. Some days I think that it’s as relevant as ever. Unsure of what it means? “Opposite in nature, direction, or meaning” or more particularly in my case, “perversely inclined to disagree or to do the opposite of what is expected or desired”. That last definition probably describes my life up until I decided to try and find a way to make things easier for myself! I am (still) a work in progress. So why do I use