This little heap of prickles is Benjamin. He arrived as a present, a tiny, tiny little sphere covered in glassy spikes of rage. Benjamin lived in a tiny little pot, which was fine, as he was a tiny little cactus. He has a long name for such a little prickle. When Benjamin was small he… Read More Meet the cacti part 4: Introducing Benjamin
This is Theodore. He is a tall lil dude, with many prickly fingers. He might be a succulent, but he’s never told me so I don’t like to ask. Theodore came into my life from my mum, who had been given him as a present. He was rather dehydrated, and lived in a very tall… Read More Meet the cacti part 3: Introducing Theodore
The year is drawing to a close ( I like to get ahead and think of the end of October as my starting point. Samhuinn and all that) and instead of resolutions, I’ve been using loose themes for the last few years. This last year I wanted to be more honest with myself and with… Read More Small Changes: A Project
6 years ago, I decided to stop buying things for a year. I supposed it was easy to stop consuming stuff. After all, I didn’t want to be part of that machine any more – I wanted to break free, to get rid of the knee-jerk twitch that made it so easy to mindlessly keep… Read More What does buying give me?
A few years ago, I bought nothing for a year. It seemed so simple on paper. Inspired by the OG Minimalism blogs – Zen Habits, The Minimalists, Becoming Minimalist, Slow Your Home – I loved the idea of a streamlined life, free from clutter and distraction. And so, in the January of 2012, I just… Read More The other side of buying nothing
The last year or so has been a journey, to put it mildly. Now I’m feeling quite a lot better, and I’m ready to step into this next phase of life. I’m quite looking forward to it. I think I’ve learnt a lot. A road I never expected but really, I feel like a better… Read More Claws, clutter, and change
Wrapping my hands around my mug of hot tea, I looked through the steam to the window beyond. Time stands still in the shed; a place to contemplate, observe. A chair, and a blanket, and a tiny spider spinning webs in the corner. It’s cold today. I make dragon-breath with my exhalations, pulling my hood… Read More Simple things
It’s just about cold enough for porridge today. Even though I’ve pulled on a t-shirt this morning, autumn is pricking at my bare arms and the wind brings that unmistakable scent, the one where summer starts to sigh and draw languidly to a close. The pan lid tickers away, bubbles escaping from inside and the… Read More Spending to feel better
A large, ‘new-from-freecycle’ desk stretches in front of me. Incessant cheeping from a baby goldfinch just outside the window makes me smile. That little dude sure is hungry. I peek out, watching the parent bird resolutely ignoring the shrill demands, trying instead to eat their fill of niger seed before bestowing any more attention on… Read More Chapters
I have to remember that it’s OK to rest. Crazy weeks, emotional battlegrounds – giving, giving, and feeling myself drain. I know it was too much, yet still I continued. And this space, a space that I’d filled with plans, took its chance and made me stop. Essays sit unfinished, deadlines drawing closer. Books pile… Read More It’s OK to rest