Jane Alexander's Blog, page 12

In which Rita, Jammy and I spend a day chatting about what I don't want.

‘Mum, you need a new phone.  It’s ridiculous.’  So said James and I couldn’t argue. I mean, who has a phone they can’t use?  I mean, one that can’t be used.  By dint of there being no O2 coverage on Exmoor. ‘But it worked fine in Morocco,’ I said.  He rolled his eyes and frog-marched me into Carphone Warehouse. Of course, once inside, it transpired that this flurry of filial love wasn’t quite so altruistic – he really wanted a new phone of his own and, seriously, I ju...

Back to school...for all of us.

autumncozy.tumblr.comAnd suddenly, that’s it.  Summer has ended.  On Sunday  I was lying out in the garden, lolling on the lawn, dog at side, book in hand.  Today, abruptly, it’s autumn.  My fingers are feeling the chill as I type.  Yes, already.   And it’s back to school.   For all of us. 
Autumn used to be my favourite season when I was young.  I loved the fresh sparky energy of September; it was inexorably linked with new starts. ...

The Number Seven Walking Book Club

Little things, local things, said my friend Sandie and I thought, she’s got a point.  I should make an effort.   We humans are surely not intended to be so solitary?  And then, serendipity, I saw a tweet from Davina who has a fabulous shop in town.  Number Seven.    And she hosts a Walking Book Club.  And I remembered how she’d told me about it when she was setting it up. We’d discussed a book we both loved – The Night Circus.  Would I come, she asked? ...

Why we don't buy glossy magazines

So people aren’t buying women’s magazines any more?  Or at least, not so much.  In the Telegraph, Jo Fairley called the latest circulation figures a ‘bloodbath’.   She reckons we aren’t buying the glossies because, basically, we can get it all for free on the Internet.  And she has a point.  But really, it’s not just that.
Firstly we’re not buying them because they are stupidly expensive.  £4? £4.20? Oh, get a grip!
But mainly we’re not buying them because th...

You have the right to remain silent...

You have the right to remain silent.  Ah, but we don’t, do we?  We are compelled to talk, to relate, to narrate, to dictate, to gossip, to speculate, to whisper and shout and share.  Even those of us who say we don’t, do.  How can we not?  Even if we don’t talk out loud, the words come out in other ways – we write, we ‘chat’, we tweet, we sing, we chunter, we rant and rage or whine and whimper.  We talk to ourselves. We talk in our sleep. 
And last night I re...

Does it matter?

But seriously.  I’m sitting outside in the sun, hearing the church bells ring the hour.  Noon.  I’ve just had an early lunch (chick pea dahl) and have fed the dogs (not chick pea dahl).  And I’m sort of half thinking.  My thoughts are a mess these days, a total mess.  I keep retreating to meditation, to the place of no-thought, but then I wonder – should one always seek to escape?  To run away?  Isn’t it opting out?  Just another form of distractio...

The hierarchy of knickers, hairy bottoms and how ginger pubes could rejuvenate the world

So, I was just about to strip off when I remembered.‘Damnit,’ I said to Cathie.  ‘I’ve got my godawful scratty workout knickers on.’
Kinda...Let me swiftly explain that Cathie is a…well…what is she?  A healer.  A witchy woman. Deeply wonderful.  Ostensibly she does aromatherapy and Bowen Technique on me; unobstensibly she talks to my body and they come to some kind of agreement to which I am not party.  Whatever.  I go in feeling crap and come out feeling…not crap...

Happy Families? How do you do summer?

So I was talking to a friend (well, emailing) and she was feeling guilty. ‘The holidays are nearly over and I don’t feel I’ve done anything with the children.  I mean, what will they remember when they’re older?  Sitting in front of the TV all summer?’I reassured her. I made the right noises. About how I feel we are under too much pressure to provide these perfect experiences for our children. About how I don’t feel a bit of boredom hurts a child.  But even so, I know what she...

Superbreakfast!

Now the thing is, I eat pretty erratically plus I’m vegetarian, so my diet doesn’t necessarily hit muster as far as providing energy, vital nutrients and all on an ongoing basis goes. Sorry, that is a horrible sentence – I appear to have lost the power of rational speech recently. Or, rather, the power of rational writing (the speech went a long time ago). 
Of course I could just take supplements but it dawned on me that actually there was a better way to go.  Cos really the best wa...

A tender process - tales from the yoga mat

So.  You may remember Tashi, the wonderful yoga teacher from Kaliyoga France?  Well, a while back, I asked her about the emotional and psychological impact of yoga for a feature I was writing.  And what she said chimed so deeply that I wanted to share it with you.  You know I love yoga - and it's not just because it's fun to turn oneself into a human pretzel.  For me, it's far more than that.  Tashi puts it far better than I ever could so I want to turn over this...