Today's post is dedicated to my children, Benji and Ollie, who have endured six weeks of total lockdown in Spain. They haven't been able to go any further than the garden. They've been absolute stars of the lockdown show. They've had to make their own magic, with a little help from mum and dad of... Continue Reading →
The Quarantine Diaries 12: The House of Life
In today's entry, I take a look at another poem by Seamus Heaney, 'The Blackbird of Glanmore,' and the extended metaphor of the 'house of life' presented therein. It's something I've been thinking about a lot during this strange period of quarantine, with a little time and stillness to reflect upon my life and re-evaluate... Continue Reading →
The Quarantine Diaries 11: Back to Nature
The two of us looked out at the blue sky, the bare chestnut tree glistening with dew, the seagulls and other birds glinting with silver as they swooped through the air, and we were so moved and entranced that we couldn't speak.Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, 23 February 1944 As I write... Continue Reading →
The Quarantine Diaries 10: Consumerism Halted
In today's post I take a look at what's happening (or not happening) 'out there' in what used to be called 'the real world.' Commercial activities have been stripped down to the bare minimum, and many people have been brought to question their whole value system because of this. Empty aisles Yesterday, I ventured into... Continue Reading →
The Quarantine Diaries 8: Avoiding the Guilt Trap
I was doing pretty well in quarantine. You might have seen my earlier entries: they were all about 'finding balance', staying calm and facing our fears. Then my body threw me a curve ball. It's the same curve ball it throws me every month, but right now I'm finding it particularly difficult to deal with.... Continue Reading →
7: Exploring our Fears in the time of Covid-19
In the last few entries, I've been focusing on meditation and mindfulness as a means of staying sane during the current crisis. That does not mean, however, that we should never admit that we are scared. An important part of any recovery or self-discovery process is to bring our fears into the open. In examining... Continue Reading →