For a sailor on a stormy sea, there can be few sights more comforting than the flare from a lighthouse sweeping the horizon. Despite modern satellite systems, mariners are taught to always use more than one form of navigation, meaning the lighthouses that dot coastlines around the world are as vital and potentially life-saving as …
Your outdoor space may seem pretty cold and lifeless at this time of year, but any garden, no matter how small, can be a vital resource and safe haven for wildlife all year round. And if you can work in community with your neighbours, your impact on nature has the potential to be even more …
There’s plenty of happiness to be found in the present moment, but sometimes life necessitates change, and changes take planning. Whether it’s a new job, moving house or starting your own business, planning the future can take you away from joy in the here and now. One of the problems is that when you start …
Colours are often associated with emotions – people talk of being green with envy or feeling blue when they’re sad. When it comes to grief, you might experience the dark depths of loss or despair, or the bright red of anger. But grief and loss can encompass a wide range of different emotions and stages, …
As more people lead increasingly sedentary lifestyles, researchers have found that spending long periods of the day inactive can have wide-ranging effects on health. Some use the metaphor that ‘sitting is the new smoking’ to highlight the dangers of spending many hours a day sat at desks, in classrooms or in meetings, commuting on public …
Deadline = a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished. Deadlines. The very definition of the word is enough to bring you out in a sweat, with its ‘musts’ and ‘objectives’ and stifling constrictions. Yet the modern world is rife with them. At work and at home, the pressure is on …
Late afternoon sun streams through my teenage daughter’s window, spotlighting her as she curls cat-like on the bed, around scraps of paper, glue, a scattering of pencils and a tatty journal. In this tableau, her expression is serene and contemplative. The book is fat with scribbled notes, fragments of lyrics, a shopping list, a gig …
Picture the scene: you’re halfway through the work day when a friend sends a long, gloomy text message about a recurring relationship problem. Heart pounding at the thought of their discomfort, you hurry out of the office to call them. You launch into a 20-minute advice session – something that’s become a regular occurrence over …
Stories about certain foods are common currency today, as they have been throughout the ages. Lots of children are brought up on tales of carrots helping them see in the dark or spinach building bulging biceps. Maybe you eat bread crusts to make your hair grow curly or avoid cheese at bedtime for fear of …
Syncopated rhythms, extended harmonies and sprawling solos. Jazz is a special breed of music that breaks the rules, goes off script and challenges you to expect the unexpected. It also has the power to reduce stress, pain and anxiety, and spark creativity. Jazz emerged from the southern US city of New Orleans in the early …
