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coaching, counselling and training in Worthing (UK) and online with Pat Spink

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enough

Coming out of lockdown – easy or confusing?

Lockdown, though necessary to contain the initial spread of Covid-19, was hard for a lot of people. In most parts of the UK now, (and in some other parts of the world, too), restrictions are starting to ease and we’re now entering a different phase, a slightly revised ‘normal’.

Whilst these changes are extremely welcome for some – particularly those whose income has been adversely affected and who are now able to resume work – for others, this brings a new level of anxiety in terms of deciding which activities feel safe to resume, and which don’t.

In many ways, full lockdown is easier and clearer to navigate in terms of understanding what we each can and can’t do. It removes most of the element of choice and individual decision-making. Now we’re starting to have to consider different possibilities and to interpret advice and rules which are, to many of us, less clear cut. Continue reading “Coming out of lockdown – easy or confusing?”

Attenborough on Plastic at Glastonbury 2019

I wasn’t at Glastonbury this weekend, but I did see a recording of Sir David Attenbourough’s spot.

He’s amazing – so respected – able to hold the attention of such a large crowd, many of whom were 70 or more years younger than himself – that’s no mean feat!

He’s lost none of his energy and passion – yet, I think he delivers what he says in an understated but serious manner – without talking down to anyone.

A great role model, not only for what he’s doing for us all and the planet, but also for any of us who might be wondering how we might be/behave in our own later years perhaps ..?

If you missed it, here’s a recording I found – it’s less than 4 minutes:

Plus a great comic-style article which a friend sent me recently which you might like, too – click here.

“Get off the gift-giving treadmill…”

So says Martin Lewis in his latest post on the subject of unnecessary Christmas presents (it’s only 3 minutes and worth a view):

“Zero sum giving”, “tit-for-tat giving” where, as he says, we end up with less money or in debt – and with ‘tat’ we don’t want or need….

This is just the right time to start having those conversations, before you go off to the shops or online to buy them.

If you need any more convincing, see also my previous blogs such as:

Christmas Presents an Issue?

Something they want … or an IOU?

‘To Wrap, or Not to Wrap?’ – that is the question...

Waste Not, Want Not, Tie The Knot!

I just want to share another great example of frugality and recycling that I read about in the Express recently – and all done without losing any of the joy and celebration in life:

wedding-rings-150300_1280.pngA couple, Cherie Harris and James Mainwaring, approached their wedding arrangements in a rather different and heartening way.

Instead of paying the usual cost of a wedding breakfast for their 140 guests, they spent a mere £6 a head by sourcing a delicious meal from food that would otherwise have gone to landfill via The Real Junk Food Project.

Other eco-friendly touches included home-made invitations and decorations, a wedding dress lined with bamboo pulp and gifts of seeds as wedding favours which their guests could then plant afterwards…

Doesn’t this just show what can be achieved with a touch of imagination, ingenuity and co-operation. winking-face_1f609

Wonky Winners

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I’ve written about food waste before (War on Waste and Hugh’s War on Waste: The Battle Continues) because I think it matters.

These days it’s so easy to be drawn into buying only the fruit and veg that look ‘pretty’, that conform to a standardised idea of what they ‘should’ look like.

So I was really pleased to read at theguardian.com this week, that sales of wonky fruit and veg have been an important element in the current success of the UK supermarket, Morrisons.

Continue reading “Wonky Winners”

Do Something, Do Nothing or Do Something Else – for 20 Minutes

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What could 20 minutes do for you?

Depending upon how you use the time, it might:

  • help you get you going with something you’ve been putting off
  • be a welcome break during which you might also learn something new
  • or stop you doing something else that you might regret later.

Allow me to explain….

Continue reading “Do Something, Do Nothing or Do Something Else – for 20 Minutes”

All Her Possessions Fit into One Carry-on Suitcase?

suitcase-2148812_1920.jpgI smiled when I heard the author Amanda Prowse on TV recently, plastic boxhaving been asked if it were true that all her possessions could fit into a carry-on suitcase, reply:

“… all of my possessions can fit into a 2.5 litre plastic box.”

As if this weren’t impressive enough, she then went on to say that when she travels anywhere she takes only 3 outfits with her:

“… one in the wash, one to wear and one spare …” Continue reading “All Her Possessions Fit into One Carry-on Suitcase?”

The Support (We Think) People Want or Need During Difficult Times

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Commonly known as ‘The Golden Rule’, versions of this sentiment can be found in many cultures and religious and moral frameworks.

It has a strong humanitarian message and seems to work well in a lot of situations.

However, the underlying assumption is that the treatment or behaviour we want or expect from others is the same as they would want from us – and there’s the rub. Continue reading “The Support (We Think) People Want or Need During Difficult Times”

Simply Enough

How much – or, how little – do we need? How much do we want?

How much (of anything) is ‘enough’?

Last year I wrote about the UK Channel 4 programme ‘Life Stripped Bare’Simplifying and de-cluttering are topics that crop up fairly regularly these days and we might think they’re a recent phenomenon fuelled by trends inspired by TV programmes and self-help books.

But not so – I found this in ‘On the Shortness of Life’ by Seneca, the Roman philosopher and statesman (c.5BC-AD65) translated by C.D.N. Costa: Continue reading “Simply Enough”

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