Fran Macilvey's Blog, page 28

Unexpected benefits – the London Book Fair 2018

Unexpected Benefits – the London Book Fair 2018

Going to the London Book Fair 2018 over three days during the Easter holidays had some rather unexpected benefits: It was good to have a change of scene and to see flowers, their colours enlivening trees and roadsides, lightening the streets under an overcast sky. (After more snow in April, Scotland has just sprung out of hibernation in the last few days.) And after a bout of illness at home during the school holidays, I slept incredibly well i...

Doing things the easy way

Doing things the easy way

 

I well remember as a young girl, frequently getting a gentle ticking off for taking short cuts, doing things the easy way. If I did, I wasn’t aware of any conscious decision to be lazy. I was probably just either tired or trying to keep up with other people.

On the other hand, I have the distinct impression that for many years, I made my life impossible: by doing subjects at University for which I had little natural aptitude, by trying – and failing – to do the th...

Ready steady travel

Ready Steady Travel

In the course of the last two years I have travelled, both with and without my family, on over twenty-five trips, to Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, London… I have become so accustomed to travel in a relatively short time, that I have my kit down to a fine art and I know exactly how long it will take to get to the airport. (Tip: Travel is best in the early morning, when traffic and flight delays are minimal – a taxi to the airport at five am is ideal.)

There ar...

Going to the London Book Fair 2018

Going to the London Book Fair 2018

I have long planned to go to the London Book Fair 2018.

I booked my accommodation for the London Book Fair 2018 in October last year, my train tickets in January, and have my rucksack packed with the basic essentials – one copy of each of my books, folders with my current works in progress and a copy of my radio play… the rest – the clothes, the details, will I hope not be too long in resolving.

The main issue I have – I will not call it a ‘problem’, though...

Mercury in retrograde

Mercury in retrograde

                 Cartwheel Galaxy Makes Waves

 

Apparently, because Mercury is in retrograde at the moment – I sort of know what that means, but, in any case, since April is Angel month and my angels do a fantastic job of looking after me, I don’t worry too much about all this – I should be careful, back up my computer files, generally be a bit cautious and double check anything important, be canny and softly spoken, etc etc.

Too bad that, inevitably, life must go on in...

The Easter holidays

The Easter Holidays

Easter is upon us, and so I shall be taking a short break over the Easter holidays.

I shall be glad to have a good reason to rest, and to take time to be with family, to reconnect with the notion of family and joint enterprises… This working alone and from home is a bit too solo, sometimes, for my liking.

As I may have said previously, my mother has bought a property near us, so we shall be checking it out, and buying a few bits of home stuff so that Mum can move in soon,...

Reading Agatha Christie

Reading Agatha Christie

My mother has, at one time in her life, had every Agatha Christie book. Perhaps, like me, she feels that reading Agatha Christie is a good bet: not especially demanding, intriguing and an interesting insight into a way of life – house parties, butlers, and maids who lived up the back stair – which has disappeared from all but the most privileged households. (And recently watching episodes of ‘The Crown’, I’m not even sure I would ever want to be part of that kind of pr...

Reasons to exercise

Reasons to exercise

Speaking as a total amateur who used to be averse to most exercise – because it felt too much like compulsion – here are ten great reasons to exercise. Walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, ski-ing, fencing, basketball. Any would do.

Why ten? I guess if I can think of ten great reasons, then I have no excuses at all for being lazy.

~ The idea of going swimming helps me to get up early in the morning and spend happy time with my husband and daughter at the breakfast table....

Its up to me

Its up to me

My determination surfaces when I least expect it, and its up to me to make the most of that.

When the phone rings with bad news, when there is too much spam in my IN box, when I haven’t the time to listen, even when my mother buys herself a flat next door, I now find myself ever so determined to do the right thing: to be patient, to take the time to slow down, to answer in the affirmative, “Yes, I can help.” Because, its up to me.

I don’t really see any virtue in complaining. We...

Happiness is…continued

Happiness is…. continued

 

There are lots of ways to help ensure our happiness is…. continued. Here are some more ideas that have occurred to me.

Find someone to love, who loves you unconditionally. You don’t have to find your soul mate, or find a partner for life, to be happy. It is enough that you can connect with someone who allows you – even, who encourages you – to be fully yourself, and who accepts you as you are.

Eating good food. This can be simply a matter of finding a nice plate, p...