Since my living off the land days I’ve had many years without a garden. Last year I moved into a lovely house in Cornwall with a smallish but beautiful garden. And over the past few months, my son and I have transformed it into an even more beautiful space 🙂 – we’re growing food …

 

 

and finding all sorts of wildlife in our inherited pond. This dragonfly visited today

 

 

 

and we found a pond salamander laying eggs – too slow grabbing my phone for a photo but such an awesome experience. Loving nature! After a tidy up yesterday, the pond is looking even better.

I am so sooooo grateful for my garden.

During the last couple of weeks I’ve shared my time between giving the website a makeover and tending plants (and pond) so haven’t written much – haven’t done much housework either but that’s not so unusual for me!

I hope the sun’s shining in your world today.

Stay safe.

Linda x

 

Someone once asked me who I would like to be if I could be someone famous. They were dreaming of being rich and famous themselves.

While I wouldn’t say no to being rich, I’ve never really aspired to being famous. It just seems to be too much trouble – having the media constantly watching you and not able to pop down to the shop without a bodyguard has an air of the ridiculous about it – in my world anyway!

The question itself is hypothetical and anyway, shouldn’t we all be happy with our own lives? … hmm

But my subconscious must have been secretly evaluating the question because just recently I realised that there is one person I would like to be. And, strangely it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that she’s a billionaire – although that would be very nice of course – but more to do with who she is and what she represents.

I’m talking about JK Rowling.

Her creativity, imagination and writing expertise is phenominal and on those days when inspiration has vanished in a haze of everyday worries and uncertainty, her books have helped me find that nugget of self-worth and confidence that I need to develop my own writing skills.

So thank you for all the wonderful stories you have shared with the world JK!

Who would you like to be? And Why?

Linda x

 

I could theorize until the cows come home (?!) but sometimes there is just no logical explanation why we connect certain things with other certain things.

When you hear a particular song, you may be transported back in time to an old flame or a sad or happy occasion. ‘Fly me to the Moon’ (Frank Sinatra) always takes me back to my dad’s funeral. Sad, but memories of him soon come flooding back – and he did love the song!

And we have certain smells, visuals, tastes and even textures that have very meaningful memories or sometimes the experience is so auspicious, you make a new memory right then and there 🙂

But then there are those illogical connections that can’t be analysed – theorised perhaps, but not always easy to find the reason you’re looking for. It’s kind of like analysing dreams I suppose. There are always bits you forget in amongst the weirdness.

My latest weird connection is ‘roast potatoes and Merlin’ ???? Yep, will elaborate a bit but honestly don’t even go down that analytical road…. If I’m making roast potatoes for dinner, I always have to put on an episode of Merlin – goodness knows what I’ll do if Netflix takes it down. Give up roast potatoes perhaps?! Noooooo 🙂

Someone close once described me as colourful and slightly off-centre. And perhaps they had a point. I would love to hear about your strange connections – nothing risque please – my grandchildren may be reading this!

Oddly yours
Linda x

 

I am so blessed. As I’ve got older, birthdays have tended to be a bit quieter but this last weekend blew that right out of the window!

It began on Friday when my youngest daughter and boyfriend surprised me when they flew over from the south of France and landed in my kitchen! Wonderful.

We had lunch in town together on Saturday with my son and planned on having dinner out – what a treat. And, ignoring the rain, we had a great day.

My lovely daughter insisted I ‘get ready’ to go out as opposed to what I normally do – comfy jeans and hoody style 🙂 – and when we got to the restaurant, I understood why. ….

A surprise party – a huge table with lots of my lovely family, balloons, flowers and even, a bit later, a birthday cake!

I was trembling for at least half an hour and had a crazy grin on my face for most of the evening. We all carried on with an impromptu party until after midnight. What a fabulous treat.

Dancing and a couple of glasses of red wine surrounded by family was definitely the best birthday surprise ever and of course I just had to blog it 🙂

The memory will keep coming up and reminding me just how blessed I am. A happy memory can always soothe the tougher times.

Linda x

What with Brexit and various political leaders (?) coming and going, us Brits have had a huge dose of political stuff over the past couple of years or so.

Some of it has a ring of truth, some of it is obvious propaganda and even more is pure mud-slinging. All this gets a bit tedious.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still voting for my chosen party, and although it’s probably best I don’t reveal my vote, it certainly wasn’t in favour of a party who obviously doesn’t care about the people of their nation – the people who pay their wages by the way….

Anyway, while all this is going on, there are some wonderful souls out there who are consistently helping those in need and helping to save our beloved planet.

And the media coverage for these ‘real-life’ people who are making a ‘real-life’ difference is practically non-existant.

Yes, we have a climate crisis, a political crisis, a financial crisis and all sorts of other crisis’ happening but moaning about it won’t help change the situation.

So, ranting aside, I am putting my money (=time in my world) where my mouth is and preparing to launch a new project that will help unite us all in our quest for a better lifestyle for all sentient beings here on earth.

Sounds like a plan ay?! It’s going to take a few more months of organising and planning but I’m hoping it will be ready to go in April 2020.

*It will highlight eco-sound and humane projects all round the world
*It will have a no-whingeing policy – that includes pointing fingers. No time for blame.
*It will be easy to get involved with, without leaving your comfy chair
*And it won’t have any advertising – or political propaganda!

So, I’m going to get my head down and hopefully share a dose of the good-stuff in the Spring… Hang in there!

Linda x

Been busy building a new website. It started with an interest in a very well-known company and suddenly I found myself building a whole site! Still a freebie but time enough to upgrade.

It’s a new writing platform with writing articles and a few well-being tips for good balance. And it’ll be a perfect platform to showcase the course I’m building, designed to help anyone who wants to write a non-fiction book get started, finished and published.

I’m going to try the course locally and see where I go from there, although in the meantime I’ll be working on the online version so that I can reach more writing students and keep it affordable. I’ve never presented a course before, let alone with actual real people listening to what I have to say.

That is, without me yelling at them or resorting to the occasional bribe – mum persona 🙂

So, fingers crossed this will be a new career move for me and more to the point, I’m going to love helping people go from ‘I’ve got a great idea for a book’ to actually doing it!

If you have a minute, pop over to the new writing site and see what you think. Not an awful lot of content yet, but you’ll get the picture.  It’s even mobile phone optimized! New Writing Platform

To your success

Linda x

I’ve been writing professionally for years; published and self published several books. Now I’m looking to help others write their books and get them published.

I can’t guarantee an agent or publishing contract – Getting my own ideas looked at often involves a marathon of research and email rejections. 🙂

But, I do know how to put a non-fiction book together, write a proposal and self-publish a book on many different platforms and retailers websites.

Marketing and making a reasonable living is another ball game entirely!

So, my next project is going to be a writing workshop for aspiring writers or people who just have something they want to share, either locally or with the whole world.

I’ve started putting the course together and over six weeks I’m hoping my students will be inspired to keep on writing and with a little luck and effort, actually make some well-earned income.

My very first attempt is going to be off-line. Writing tends to be a solitary occupation and I’ve spent the last decade and more glued to my laptop, hardly speaking to anyone outside my immediate family and friends, so that’s about to change!

I’ve been studying coaching, course creating and writing for a while now so I feel I’m ready. Absolutely terrified of getting it wrong, but that’s par for the course when we start anything new 🙂

I’m looking at local venues, drafting flyers and working out costs at the moment. There’s going to be a lot of leg work involved when I get the flyers printed but I could probably do with the exercise! Although, come to think of it, I might be able to persuade a couple of my grandchildren to help.

This won’t actually happen until next March – lots to do beforehand – but feeling good about the project and lots of positive feedback coming my way, so fingers, toes, ears and eyes crossed.

In the meantime, another project is in development, which is going to help me develop my own writing and editorial skills and also be a positive force for the whole planet. Yep, big dreams and optimism on overdrive, but I’ve had a meeting with a business connector who I’m hoping will help me get the idea moving to the next level… watch this space!

Enjoy the moment 🙂

Linda x

P.S. If the workshop goes well, I might fall in love with my laptop again and create a virtual course.

Sometimes life just stands on it’s head! Had no internet over the weekend and crappy phone signal so most of the weekend plans went out of the window. I don’t have a TV either so rely on netflix for entertainment in zoning out times – which happen more frequently than I care to admit!

But this weekend was different.

I didn’t realize just how many times I ‘google it’ every day. Before mobile phones, in the days when libraries were our main source of information, did we not ask so many questions? And the questions we did ask were probably related to the bigger picture in all arenas.

I never went to my local library to find out if Spock was still alive, and do I really need to know that?

I’ve heard it said that we consume more information in one day than our ancestors may have done in a lifetime. This sounds an extreme statistic and I guess it depends on how many generations we want to compare with, but it kind of makes sense. Especially when we have information at our fingertips 24/7.

But what to do when you power-down?

I actually had a very relaxing and productive weekend, using the time to de-clutter and tidy stuff. From the flower pots in the shed to the documents on my laptop, the clutter was growing daily. Of course there’s more to do so have a few more things on my to-do list but the tidy bits are great! I might just declare next Sunday to be internet-free…..

Having said all that, I am so pleased it’s Monday and I’m connected to the world again, so yay, it’s Monday! Have a great week 🙂

Linda x

P.S.
De-cluttering is insanely good for the mind body and spirit. Need some tips and guidance? This handy download takes you step by step through the process. Choose from your favourite book store:

 

Amazon US , Amazon UK ,

iTunes , Kobo ,

Barnes & Noble , Payhip 

Etsy, Healthy Living Book Shop ,

 

So proud of my grandson who just received his university exam results, Straight A’s in 7 modules in his horticultural course!

I’d like to think he’s taking after his Granny but I left school without a qualification to my name, so maybe not 🙂

He’s studying at the Eden project in Cornwall. If you’re in the area, it’s really worth a visit. So much going on. A couple of (particularly cold) winters ago, my friend and I spent many happy hours in their Rain forest Biome, soaking up the heat, the smells and pure enjoyment of the wonderful plants they grow there.

With the over-powering heat this year, the tropical paradise might not be the place you want to spend time in just now, but don’t let that put you off. They have all sorts of wonderful stuff going on….

Outdoor Gardens
Rainforest Biome
Mediteranean Biome and Terrace
Seasonal Plant Highlights
Wetern Australia Garden
Invisible Worlds Exhibition

plus loads of soft play for kids to do, as well as delicious healthy food. Oh, and they’ve just built a couple of new atractions. One of them is a zip wire experience, which of course my grandson and his girlfriend tried out as soon as it was finished!

He’s actually waving to the camera. I’d be terrified!

Anyway, proud Granny signing off now.

Have a great day!
Linda x

P.S. Google The Eden Project and see what I mean 🙂

 

…. and don’t buy the books yet!

Okay, so I’ve abandoned my office space for a few days – mostly because there’s a pile of bills in there that I’m avoiding – and decamped to an armchair.

This image isn’t real but sitting comfortably with part of my mind in the clouds is.

So, updating books at the moment. I started the growing guides, thinking they may be easier and quicker to sort out. Not so!

I’ve added so many extras and I upload to lots of online platforms that it’s a lot trickier than I thought it would be…. there’s a surprise 🙂

Anyway, this is really just a heads up that the guides will be updated in the next couple of weeks, so don’t buy them yet.

Because I refer to Amazon Garden centre in most of them, Apple won’t publish. I debated whether to change the text, then decided against it so Apple will miss out on the fabulous updated versions!

Right, better plump up those cushions and get back to it.

Have a wonderful day, relax when you can and find time for your own well-being – taking my own advice today, now there’s a first. 🙂

Linda x