The Toymakers is a long, sweeping story, following the life of young runaway Cathy from 1907 to 1953. Pregnant, she flees home, answering an advert in the paper asking for shop-hands at Papa Jack’s Emporium, a magical toy shop open only from first frost to first thaw. Rescued by Papa Jack’s two sons, Cathy is […]
anxiety
Anxiety and Me, Summer 2016
Warning Signs Crying at your desk Identifying with the word “hunted” Repetitive thoughts, repetitive thoughts, repetitive thoughts Catastrophizing A sudden, searing conviction that someone you love hates you Suddenly feeling either very hungry, or sick Not being able to sleep without the radio on Not being able to sleep Being unreasonably upset when an inconsequential […]
Times of Trouble – Poetry Can Help
I have this one poem that took me three whole years to write. I started it as a note on my phone, when I was waiting, drunk and maudlin, for the last train to take me back to Didcot. For the next few years, every time I felt especially low, I’d open up the file […]
Self Care – Being Your Own Seven Year Old
A few years ago I was reading some article on dieting, as I am wont to do, when I came across the words – “An adult woman seeking to lose 1-2 pounds per week requires 1,400 calories per day, the same amount as a seven year old child…” I will not recount to you the […]
Blogmas Day 17 – This Is Not A Review Of The Year
Last year lots of “big” things happened to me. I bought a house, I took a show to Edinburgh, I lost three and a half stone, I got engaged, I got a pet, I got a promotion. Loads of things to put on facebook, straightforward things that people can like and comment “Yay!! Congrats :D” […]
Queen of the Biscuits – on totally overthinking your food choices
I work in the kind of office where, at 11am every day, someone will come over and offer you a cup of coffee and a biscuit. It’s very civilised. Because I am British, I have extremely strong opinions about biscuits (and all kinds of baked goods). Because also I am trying to lose weight, I […]
Emergency Store Cupboard Brownies
We have awoken to a bleak, bleak day. The Tories have won an outright majority – something we didn’t think was possible yesterday morning – and support for UKIP is climbing terrifyingly high. I’m not sure our beautiful welfare state, our NHS, can survive another five years of cuts. It’s the weakest who will suffer […]
10 Thoughts You Have 10 Minutes Before Going On Stage
Wait. Do I need a wee? No, shhhh, it’s just nerves, you’re fine. This is terrifying. What if I forget all my words? What if I don’t forget my words, but it turns out all my words are terrible and everyone hates it and they hate me and I will have failed forever? This is […]
How to Meditate
A lot of people want to start meditating but aren’t sure how or where to begin, or what meditating really is. This confusion is because it’s a difficult question. Lots of people mean lots of different things by meditation. What I mean is sitting very still and emptying my mind. I do this because it […]
Breathing to Avoid Freaking the Fuck Out
Life is often full of overwhelmingness. This could be because you get panic attacks, or uncontrollably angry for a few seconds, or suddenly really sad or unsure of yourself, or an impulse to hide. For me this normally happens during confrontations, but we all have our triggers – and there might not be a reason. […]