When you were little, you had a creative spark deep inside you. If you were lucky, your parents and teachers knew how to nourish it and make it grow. Even if that little flame was neglected, don’t worry, it is still there, waiting to be fed and to burst through into your consciousness.

Do you remember the nursery rhymes about Old Mother Hubbard? There was nothing in her cupboard and so her poor dog went without supper. Don’t let your creative spark feel the pangs of hunger! Let’s start filling that cupboard.

Here is a list of ways to stack…

I had recently had a baby and getting out once a week to a local community choir was like a breath of fresh air. My husband stayed at home and managed the baby comforting tasks and diaper changes, and I got to meet real people and sing for a couple of hours.

Once a year, the choir arranged to have a fancy dinner, which was combined with the annual general meeting and was an opportunity for the elected officials to give some rather boring speeches. But aside from that, good food in an elegant hotel made up for having to…

Wherever we come from, whatever life has dealt to us, we all have experienced love in its many forms. Such a powerful feeling has energized our lives when we needed it most and taught us so much about ourselves.

It doesn’t really matter if you don’t speak each other’s language. Love will find a way. I am sure you can think of at least one couple who come from different backgrounds and speak different languages but have made a success of their relationship.

Yewande Adeleke explains how to understand your partner’s love language and improve your communication.

In the quest…

What is the definition of normal?

Merriam-Webster defines it as ‘conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern : characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine

If we consider this in the context of a normal person, they would completely lack the ability to be interesting, they would be un-noticeable, a shadow passing by. Is that what we are trying to achieve by accepting the concept of normality?

I understand industry and marketing find it easier to target their consumers by categorizing them into groups, which may or may not be defined as the ‘norm’. Healthcare is…

I think we can all agree that there is a degree of complacency amongst us now about this virus. The news channels continue to spout out daily figures, but they fail to alarm us as they used to do. There is plenty of good news too about the uptake of the vaccine. The bottom line is we have tired of all the constant hype. Some are rebelling against ongoing constrictions, while others are resigned to a different sort of life.

It is important that we regain our perspective. The virus hasn’t gone away and we now have to find ways…

Silver splitter. This is new terminology to describe divorcing couples who are separating late in life. Personally, I find the term a bit demeaning and ageist. These are not flighty young people who decide to break it up on a whim. This decision will have been taken after many months of heart-searching and possibly years or even decades of unhappiness.

Lawyers call it grey divorce. Another unsettling term. It conjures up a messy blurred edges process, a decision made by unimportant people.

Why can’t we treat older people with the respect they deserve?

So why are there increasing numbers of…

Lying in my bath at the moment are a number of grubby, partially dismembered toys which I retrieved from the dog’s bed recently. I have sewn up the gaping wounds and re-stuffed some, though I have not found that to be essential. Some have lost eyes, ears, legs, tails and now look very different from their original form.

They are waiting to be washed. I daren’t put them in the washing machine in case they leak more stuffing and block the filter. I found out after I bought that particular model of washing machine that the filter was only accessible…

As the light from her lamp filled the cave, and the dark shadows retreated, Damsa sat down by the table and took off her scarf. Rafi stared at her. She was much younger than he had imagined. He was both captivated and horrified by her face. All down her right cheek was an ugly red scar, tethering the edge of her lip, so when she spoke her mouth moved asymmetrically. She had brown eyes and long dark hair which was tied at the back of her neck with a ribbon. She must have been very pretty once, he thought.

He…