Meditation

We’re only 11 days into the new year, but I’d hazard a guess many people have already felt a sense of stress at some point. You know, when you feel under pressure, or not fully in control. I came across a great description of this feeling: It’s kind of like being on the starting line […]

With a new year I always feel like I’ve just hit the reset button. Starting over… starting fresh. A clean page. New ideas, plans, thoughts. Moving on from whatever happened last year… good or bad. My husband started a new job this week – that’s a huge new start for both of us. But with

There are many people who don’t find this time of year particularly ‘merry’, and the words going through their minds are possibly more like ‘no, no, no’ rather than ‘ho, ho, ho’. Whether you’re worrying about the cost of Christmas, presents and preparationss, coordinating and/or navigating family and friends, a plethora of social events, or

I recently discovered this Sunday is Worldwide Candle Lighting Day. As a big lover of candles I thought it sounded interesting so I did some digging around to find out more. It’s a virtual 24-hour global candle lighting ceremony, symbolising compassionate support for each other by families grieving the loss of a child. It’s celebrated

I love this time of year, especially after the rain, when some plants come into vibrant flower. Two of my favourites are the Jacaranda trees and the Frangipanis, and despite their popularity, neither are native to Australia. The Jacaranda is from South America, but it’s very easy to think they are Australian, because at this

I know a lot of people get a bit nervous around the word ‘meditation’. Some people regard it as a bit ‘new-age’ or woo-woo… and yes, that is an actual description: “based on false beliefs or imaginary things, rather than reason or scientific knowledge” – Cambridge Dictionary. Some people will dismiss it as being in

It’s been an interesting week. Monday was World Kindness Day. November is World Gratitude Month. So my intention was to write about finding gratitude in the everyday. But then my husband was made redundant. This week. Just shy of six weeks before Christmas. I couldn’t find anything kind in that, and I certainly didn’t feel

When we practie mindfulness we focus on being aware of what’s happening in the present moment – the here and now. But there are times when a wandering mind can have its benefits. Not when our mind is dwelling on something negative from the past, or running a fear of the future narrative. But when

I love this phrase! Take a look-see. It strikes me as a bit quirky and I’ve always thought, very Australian. But a quick online search and it seems to be a borrowing from Chinese Pidgin English, with the first known usage in the 1860s! I’m funny with language – I really love it – and

It’s National Bird Week… which for me means taking part in Birdlife Australia’s annual Aussie Bird Count. You spend a few minutes each day in a location of your choice (your garden, local park, forest etc) and simply note down all the birds you can identify in that time. It helps BirdLife Australia find out