Despite my internal protestations and denial, as the rest of the garden springs into life, I’ve been forced to face reality. The honeysuckle is dead. I don't know why it has died, whether it has anything to do with my brutal cutting back of the wayward jasmine that grows alongside. Perhaps it … [Read more...] about A Death In The Garden
Relationships
Is Feedback Really The Breakfast Of Champions?
This week I had to write a reference for someone, a task I have never previously been asked to undertake. I wrote with honesty, which was easy because this person is an excellent fit for the role, but I found it hard to think of anything that could be seen as a development area, something I had … [Read more...] about Is Feedback Really The Breakfast Of Champions?
Christmas Lights and the Paradox of Choice
Henry Ford telling his employees that a customer can have any colour of Model T Ford "as long as it's black" is a well-known anecdote even though it's unlikely he ever said it. Regardless of whether or not he did, the sentiment is one we ignore at our cost. We’ve been lulled into the belief that … [Read more...] about Christmas Lights and the Paradox of Choice
Lessons I Learned From Taking Care Of Wonky Pets
My inadvertent love affair with wonky pets began with my first dog, Toby, a collie cross rescue who was only six months old but already had a pin in his leg, as a result of being hit by a car. I'd just moved into my first house and I wanted a dog. Nothing fancy, just one who would chase after a … [Read more...] about Lessons I Learned From Taking Care Of Wonky Pets
Why Agency Beats Stoicism When It Comes To Recovery
Two disparate events moved me to write this week about the drawbacks of stoicism. First, I completed a round-trip of some 15 hours duration to have Daisy's (my dog) lameness properly diagnosed by a specialist vet who, rather inconveniently, lives in another country. It turns out that she's been … [Read more...] about Why Agency Beats Stoicism When It Comes To Recovery