I spent yesterday at the Springboard annual conference in this rather beautiful hotel just outside Bristol. As the next part of my Biodynamic farming course doesn’t start until Friday night in Exeter, I’m just hanging out here, staying with friends until then. And having given a mention to the beautiful (but at the same time, corporate and faceless)… Continue reading Two days of sunshine and nothing to do

A while ago, I mentioned that a friend encouraged me to write a book. It’s an idea that has been brewing for a while,  but having a little more time and space in my life at the moment means that I’ve been able to revisit the idea, and with my friend-turned-mentor’s help, make it into… Continue reading Would you like to be interviewed about finding meaning in your life and work?

I’m writing from a farm in the South Staffordshire countryside, which is my home for the rest of the week.  Not into my tablet, but old-school with a pen and paper.  I’m having one of those moments where I feel that I am experiencing exactly how I wished my life would turn out.  I am… Continue reading Six weeks into the unknown

I’ve had music lessons of some sort or another for pretty much my whole life. As soon as we could speak, my sister and I were taught to sing, but when I was seven, piano lessons began.  Whilst my other friends were at ballet,  I would drag my feet up the road with £2.50 clutched… Continue reading In praise of late developers

As I write this blog post, I am looking out over sunlit Lakeland Fells.  The midday warmth has muted the birdsong that burst into life at 5am, and the conversations of happy yogis drift across the courtyard towards me.  A massage is taking place to Bob Marley, at the picnic table a group are painting… Continue reading If this is so close to your calling – how could you do more of it?

Flourish. It’s such a lovely word.  It sounds opulent, it has a beautiful meaning, it even feels nice in your mouth as you say it.   After feeling doubtful recently about my choices (and precisely what I am doing with my life!) I was heartened to be at a meeting of Sheffield Flourish today, and… Continue reading Flourishing

Perhaps the misery of frugal February (I reached my £100 spending limit on Friday and so have officially failed) has brought about my self doubt today. I’d also applied for a nice-sounding job last week.  They agreed that they would consider part-time for the right person, and I felt the interview went well. Even though… Continue reading Doubts

I’ve recently been persuaded to join a group of friends who are taking part in ‘Frugal February’.  The idea is that you live off £100 for the entire month.  There are obvious exceptions of course – mortgage, bills and so on.  The things that we are committed to via direct debits.  But in terms of… Continue reading Frugal February

I was chatting to a lovely friend at the yoga studio a few days ago.  She is just having her second book published and is a bit of a hero to me.  Almost simultaneously, she said “You know, you should write a book”, whilst I said “I’d love to write a book”.  This, I took… Continue reading Do I have a book in me?

Today I had one of those full-circle moments.  Almost ten years ago to the day, when I was working in the Department of Biology at the University of York, I set up something called Coffee and Careers talks. My remit at the time was to persuade people doing PhDs or postdocs that there are lots… Continue reading Full circle