There’s only one thing about being creative that’s difficult – creativity. It’s all very well thinking up great ideas, or having the urge to get out your pen or paints, but the gap between thought and action can seem like a chasm. There’s always something more important – or easier – to do instead. It …
Two weeks into my first magazine job, 24 years ago, my editor sent me on a press trip to Paris. Setting off before dawn on the Eurostar, the remit was to interview world-renowned language teacher, the late Michel Thomas, en route. Thomas coaxed long-forgotten French out of me in the most astonishing way. And the …
Picture this: you’ve picked a restaurant that you’ve always wanted to go to, ordered the most exciting dish on the menu and a glass of nice wine to go with it. As you lift your fork to tuck in, you raise a silent toast to yourself for such an excellent choice, then proceed to savour …
In this issue: Lessons from the sky – Rockin’ robin – ‘But it’s tradition!’ – Something smells good… – Top flight – Partied out? – Swimming wild and free – One day in Paris – Use your wings – Seize the moment The decision might have seemed insignificant, innocuous – why reserve the same table …
Literature repeats itself: classic tales and old myths are constantly referred to or retold in new stories. Have you ever noticed, for example, that Disney’s 1994 film The Lion King borrows much of its plot from Shakespeare’s Hamlet (written between 1599 and 1601)? Hamlet, in turn, was inspired by an ancient Scandinavian saga. Because so …
Sometimes, it can feel like just stepping out of your front door costs money. Whether it’s putting petrol in the car, buying a bus ticket or bumping into a friend and going for an impromptu coffee, you leave the house and, all too soon, the cash is slipping through your fingers. So, it’s little wonder …
‘Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?’ ‘Supposing it didn’t,’ said Pooh after careful thought. Piglet was comforted by this. – AA Milne Like the cautious Piglet, people are wired to anticipate problems – the brain is developed to raise the alert on potential threats. As a result, it’s natural when …
You’ve probably seen the word ‘sheeple’ used about people who unquestioningly follow the herd. It’s used as an insult, in its presumption that there’s nothing worse than a sheep for blindly going along with the crowd. What about you? Have you ever unquestioningly played follow the leader? Most people have. Even if you rebel against …
In this issue: Novel take – Something to say – The best things in life – What if it goes right? – Commit to the future – Walk this way – When treatment’s over – Body talk – You might also like… – Writing by numbers Attention to detail. Whether it’s writing a book, planning …
In this issue: Room to breathe – World of imagination – Dancing in September – Pots of colour – Keepers of stories – Immersed in mindfulness – Second to none – Morning glory – Breaking the silence – Tides of change ‘It was just crazy, and so exciting.’ No matter who you’d been rooting for …
