An arc of life Most people can draw an arc. A perfect curved line, in one stroke. The swift sweep upwards like a lark descends and trails away like smoke. A metaphor for a journey; a life. Whose life is so smooth an arc? Perhaps only those who die young. Most are made[…]
This weekend marks the second anniversary of the publication of my self-help guide, Solo Success! You CAN do things on your own. Where did those two years go? More importantly, where am I now at the end of them? What have been the highs, what have I learned, and what will be my next step[…]
Next month I’ve planned another solo break to the Lake District, one of my favourite places as regular readers will know. I like to take a few solo breaks a year, but this will be my first proper solo break – no meet-ups with family or friends – in 2019. ‘Me time’ in a different[…]
As a member of the solo supplement paying fraternity, that’s enough stress before any holiday starts! So, I’ve compiled a few, hopefully helpful, tips to smooth out potential hiccups with packing, getting there and having an angst free time when you arrive. You can’t plan for the unknown or unexpected – but you can be[…]
Twenty eight people assembled around the Tour Director at Catania airport: thirteen married couples, me and a solo gentleman. I’ll call him Gentleman X. And what with seating arrangements at meal times, and finding ourselves paired during free time on daytrips, we were thrown together quite a bit over the next week. But – a[…]
Italy as a holiday destination has it all as far as I’m concerned: good weather, great views, great artwork, ancient ruins – and I’m not talking about the other people on the tour! And not forgetting GOOD FOOD. This summer I visited Sicily, the much fought over Mediterranean volcanic rock, close to the toe of[…]
I wasn’t aiming for a barefoot look when attending Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park in Warwick. Not when I was selecting my outfit on the morning of the event. And as it happened I wasn’t barefoot for very long. Just long enough to be told that I had to do something about it –[…]
“I’m afraid your BMI [Body Mass Index] indicates that you are obese,” said the woman doing my one-to-one assessment. “But you don’t look obese.” No, I didn’t think I did. But that didn’t change the result. I’ll come straight out with it: 2019 has turned into the year of the health scares. The year I[…]
We all feel stuck in a rut sometimes. It just takes a moment, a sideways glance at our life, to notice the same old day after day or regular weekly routine – and it feels dull all of a sudden. What we need is a change! Perhaps we suddenly can’t remember the last time we[…]
Everyone wants to feel good, preferably all of the time. But for many people that feeling can be elusive. Perhaps they are so busy chasing after the feeling that they don’t notice that it has been there all the time. But, you have to choose to notice it, to look for it in the everyday.[…]