The secret of life is balance, and the absence of balance is life’s destruction – Hazrat Khan
Over the last few months, I’ve been part of a team working together to create the next Kicking the Bucket Festival in Oxford. The last one was in 2016, which unfortunately passed me by! However, last summer at a funeral, I was walking back to the reception centre with Liz Rothschild who’d been the celebrant, Continue reading
Last week I was delighted to be invited to speak at Knowledge Day, a staff wellbeing day, with a focus on end of life care for residents, at PJ Care in Milton Keynes. I have worked closely with this amazing company since 2017, and am always grateful for the welcome they give me, and the Continue reading
We are currently in the middle of Dying Matters Awareness Week, an annual occasion in the UK where people and organisations across the country hold events in their communities to raise awareness about death and dying. The campaign aims to work with people everywhere to create an open culture where we feel comfortable to talk Continue reading
Spring has definitely popped her head up over the horizon! It feels as if she’s been particularly shy this year, emerging with gusto, only to retreat behind yet another flurry of strong winds, torrential rain or overnight freezing temperatures. I’m grateful for her endless efforts, and the joy that her blue skies, sunshine and Spring Continue reading
Losing a loved pet can be heart-breaking, and yet not always recognised. When my children’s pet died it was the first death they’d experienced. We sat down together and created a memory book. Looking back they weren’t particularly fazed by Coco’s death, and yet it gave us the opportunity to talk about dying within a Continue reading
Technically we are in the depths of Winter, a time for rest…I wonder how many of us feel rested after the recent festivities…! Last year I was conscious of this ideal time for rest and recuperation and allowed my budding ideas around the lost art of simple dying to percolate slowly, before taking the bull Continue reading
As we approach All Hallows’ Eve (Hallowe’en), All Souls Day and the Mexican Day of the Dead it seems fitting that we have just facilitated our inaugural Death and Dying Discussion group evening. Over the year I’ve held several workshops on the subject of The Lost Art of Simple Dying (click here), and it became Continue reading
The morning after the Autumn Equinox the ground sparkles with sunshine reflecting in the dew. There’s a coolness in the air, and a hint of mist dances surreptitiously among the trees. It’s hard to believe the hot, dry days of summer have finally passed us by for this year, but the change is palpable. I Continue reading
As the long, hot summer continues, and with another heatwave forecast, we’ve just returned from 4 days at the Green Gathering Festival. Perfect camping weather perhaps, but nonetheless concerning in the grand scheme of things. Surely this seemingly endless heat is a sign of the glaring reality of climate change and global warming… Green Gathering Continue reading
Last weekend I was delighted to welcome a small group of people to my home for a workshop exploring death and dying, how to prepare for our own death by considering what’s important to us and writing it down, and how to support other people towards the end of life. What a heart-opening day ❤️. As Continue reading