Double White Lines

Hate to whinge but I think this is an issue I need to raise in the interests of keeping people alive in beautiful Far South Tasmania and perhaps other places too. It's been drawn to my attention recently that a huge number of our drivers (and it used to include me until I had this drawn to my attention, hence my interest in sharing with you)...a huge number of our drivers cross double white lines when driving. I completely understand why people do it. It is less trouble than staying on the right side of the road when tackling all those little and larger bends in our roads. The thing is that it seems to have become a habit that we give little thought to. I admit to having a few little Graham Hill moments as I traversed the bends between Dover and Huonville...only when the road is dry of course...I think there is a little racing driver in us all, but now that I've had the error in my ways pointed out, I'm going to do the same for you (if you do it too) and maybe keep you safer than you might have been.

According to page 8 of the Tasmanian Road Rules Booklet, continuous double white lines are not to be crossed unless to avoid a hazard on the road, and only then if it is safe. The reason for continuous double white lines is that a driver's view of oncoming traffic is considered insufficient for safe maneuvering of the vehicle to the opposite side of the road. I have noticed in recent times that many Tasmanian vehicles are crossing those lines to a significant degree and are coming very close to colliding with me who is driving the other way. Habits come very easily, and especially bad ones! It's easier to drive a straighter line to where you are going, but it is also more dangerous; not just for you but for your passengers and other road users. Consider how you would feel if you were responsible for killing or maiming someone just because you were in a bit of a hurry or driving a little lazily; being a little too relaxed about it all.

We can blame the condition of the roads. We can blame being distracted. We can claim that there's not a lot of traffic on our roads so we can relax a bit and it will all be okay. Reality is that the amount of traffic is increasing all the time. Reality is that large vehicles use our roads and they cannot get out of your way easily. Reality is that if you are on the wrong side of the road, for a great many stretches on our roads here, there is nowhere for the driver coming the other way to go to get out of your way. Reality is that you are driving at 80 or 90 kph on narrow windy roads, and the guy (or mum with a carload of kids) is coming the other way at a similar speed, and you are passing each other with about 30-40cm of air between you. If you're both on your own sides of the road, you might have a metre or a metre and a half. It's not much air guys. If someone gets distracted for a moment, it's a recipe for disaster.

May I contend that it's a miracle or at least a mystery that we have not lost lives or more lives on these roads with the way many of us are driving. I don't know how many accidents there have been but I do know there are a lot of 'near misses'. I've seen a lot. I bet you have too. I know a lot of people now drive larger vehicles, 4WDs or RVs, and they may have the impression that because they are up higher and have a better view of the road, that they can get away with crossing the lines and still being safe. I would say to you, remember that you are not the only person you need to think about. The person coming the other way may be less than completely focused on driving. They may be distracted or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They may be distressed for some reason and not concentrating. We can say that they  shouldn't be driving if that's the case, but we all know the pressure we are under to go places and to be places. Life is busy. People do things without thinking sometimes. The more of us that are consciously making the decision to drive safely, the better chance we have of taking up the slack where others aren't taking care. 

This is sounding a lot like a lecture. I suppose it is in a sense. I want you to have a think about your own driving habits and the habits of those you drive with. Cutting corner is easy, but it is not really wise. We drive so often and take it for granted that we can jump in the car and go without a second thought. For many people around our beautiful state and our beautiful country, an innocent and everyday journey has ended in tragedy. Do your very best always to ensure that you do not become one of them.

Drive safely people. Think carefully. Be wise.

PS Something else I just thought about. If you drive with your children in the car, they are likely to do what you do when they grow up and get their licences to drive. If you cut corners so will they. If you break the speed limits so will they. If you drive with one hand on the wheel, so will they.  If you drive safely and respect the laws of the road, then there is more chance that they will too. You are your children's best teachers. Teach them well by example. Thank you.

PPS Oh, and crossing continuous double white lines is breaking the law. Just sayin'.

From www.thechronicle.com.au

Please leave a comment if this has made you think about your own driving habits if you dare! I'd love to hear from you. Kerry :)

The Fine Art of Hanging the Washing

How many of you find this an activity that leads to conflict in the household?

Who taught you how to hang washing? Why do you do it the way you do? 

Have you ever considered these questions? 

I’m going to right now. Well, first I’m going to explain why.

As many of you know, I live with David and because I moved in with David who already had a washing machine, and because he is the most super of house-hubbies, he has been doing the washing ever since. Okay, one day I might learn how to operate his digital washing machine, but until I develop the courage to take that on, I’m happy enough to leave things as they are. Well, this morning some washing had come to the end of its cycle (or so I thought) so I said I’d hang  it out. I was just wanting to promote the ‘we’re in this together’ feeling and he was busy with something else…

So I dragged the load out of the machine, impressed that it could hold such a big load too! I started to hang things…the way I always hang them…the way I’ve been hanging them since I was probably knee high to a gnat and my mother began training me in the Finer Art of Hanging Wet Clothing on a Washing Line. I hang tops right across the line with the pegs placed on the seam under the armpit area where the sleeve joins the body. The reason for doing this is that the top dries nice and flat and either 1) needs little ironing in the case of more traditional cotton based fabrics or 2) just needs folding with more modern poly-cotton models. You can see this is based on sound science and generations of experimentation and discovery. House-hubby noticed what I was doing and commented, “Don’t you think it would be better to hang them from the end? Wouldn't they dry better then?” or similar. I smiled (I think…maybe not) and said, “Let’s see what happens shall we?” 

Notice that I swiftly avoided conflict in the outer world but my inner world was piping up in protest!

• “Well, don’t you think that if I thought they would dry better some other way then I’d hang them some other way??”
• "I’m 55 years old. I've been hanging washing on the line since I was knee high to a gnat. I think I know what I’m doing, don’t you?” (insert raised eyebrows here)
• ”My mother showed me how to hang washing and I've always done it this way…and it works just fine!”
• “I've dried washing on boats in ten days straight raining…don’t tell me how to dry washing!!!”

After I got my brain to settle down a bit I did the only sensible thing a girl could do (you may argue with this point and that is fine)…I went back along the line and hung his stuff from the bottom. Ah, great compromise girl, and no feelings hurt. Then I noticed him getting the clothes horse set up inside near the fire. Hmmm this is not over yet I thought. He popped out the door and came back with an armload of quite soggy clothes. “I think you took them out before they’d finished spinning,” he quaffed.

I smiled to myself. I don’t mind if he brings it all inside to dry. That’s okay. I did wonder about whether I’d pulled them out too soon. The machine kept beeping a little digital song at me while I was getting things out and I noticed a light flashing alongside rinse (after I’d finished hanging them all), but they all smelled clean and not soapy (yes, I checked by rinsing a small item under the tap because they did seem a bit soggy; no soap came out!) and it seemed to have finished doing whatever it was doing. It was still and quiet. Now I think it was sitting quietly waiting to add more water for the second rinse. Right now I’m thinking I won’t give up my day job! I may well be banished to the computer to keep doing something I understand better; writing!

My cousin has a special way of hanging washing too. She likes to use matching pegs; each item has two red pegs or two blue pegs or two orange pegs. Or she did some years back – don’t know if that’s changed. I’m not sure if it’s something she learned from her mum or just something she does…must ask sometime!  

When I lived in Southern Tasmania a long time ago I used to boil all our handkerchiefs.  I used a pot specially reserved for that job, and I’d hang them on the lines I had strung up inside near the fire…and I used to count them. I know, it’s weird but I did. Do you know we had somewhere in the vicinity of eighty handkerchiefs? That’s ridiculous!

How about this one! I once read that towels actually dry more quickly if you hang them over the line rather than from the end. There was some scientific explanation for it in the article, but I can’t remember now; something to do with air flow…like with sailing boats. I hope someone out there might test it with a timer and get back to me with the results so I can use the data to shore up my reasoning for hanging stuff across the line.  It seems probable that the Hanging of Washing has forged habits and fostered theories world-wide…and no doubt conflict and arguments.

I remember once doing a Positive Parenting course and the presenter used the Fine Art of Hanging the Washing to explore and expose the different ways that we do things…all sorts of things…and how we can be so sure we do things the ‘right’ way or the ‘best’ way. Really, we just do things differently. I might struggle with the intricacies of the digital washing machine, but in the end we get clean, dry clothes to wear and that’s the main thing. It’s not worth arguing about.

I’d love to hear about how you hang the washing; maybe I’ll learn some new tricks from you!

Cowfish

Just lately I've been trying very hard to make better choices for my health. It’s a funny thing that with all the choices we have with food, all the great places we have to exercise, all the time we have that we could use to benefit our health through meditation or reflection or by spending unflustered time with loved ones, all the knowledge we have of the components of a healthy lifestyle…yet many of us choose to live in a way that doesn't promote good health. We rely on pain relief medications to get through many of our days and feel bloated or overweight or generally off colour. The dashboard for my body (apart from the pressure of my pants around my middle) is eczema. It very quickly lets me know when I’m out of line. 

Once upon a time, I had eczema so badly that I had both hands bandaged a lot of the time. I had weeping blistery eruptions and unbelievable itching and the bandages helped to remind me not to scratch. Not sure that worked too well but I tried anyway. To my great good fortune, when I moved to Southern Tasmania back in the late 1980s, a new friend told me about a local woman who was a naturopath and herbalist and that I should pay her a visit. She looked into my eyes and told me many things she could see but the upshot of the analysis was that my body was in an acidic state and the eczema was a response to that. She sold me a bottle of herbal mixture to give me a boost and instructed me to eat less animal proteins and to introduce a big dark green salad into my daily eating habits.

We had quite a nice productive veggie garden at the time so I was able to wander each morning and gather fresh young silver-beet, onion tops, beetroot leaves, spinach and petals from calendula and borage flowers to add colour.  I would slice the greens super fine after washing them well, and chopped and grated other vegetables into the mix; tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, carrots and anything else I had to hand. I added a good sprinkle of sunflower, pumpkin or sesame seeds as she had also suggested and a simple dressing of olive oil and vinegar. Well, the results were quite amazing and soon my skin had cleared up completely. Over the years I’ve had outbreaks now and then, and the interesting thing was that I could guarantee that it would pop up on one knuckle anytime we went to my mum-in-laws house for dinner. She always served roasted lamb, which obviously was not a good thing for me.

I’ve been vegetarian on and off since I was thirteen and still remember with great fondness the day our family had gone in a fundraiser car rally though Dad’s work.  At the culminating barbecue Mum gently maneuvered the soy bean sausages she had so lovingly made for me onto the wire grill only to watch in dismay as most of them disintegrated and fell into the fire below! She must have loved me a lot to go to all that trouble. I remember having a few singed bits and pieces that were salvaged but they were a bit disappointing for a girl who was used to proper snags…but this was a great moral cause for me…it was not about my health so I carried on bravely, no doubt feeling quite puritanical for my efforts. Now I can buy sausages, burgers, bits, roasts, all sorts of things made from soy beans – even cheese! I choose to be vegetarian most of the time now. I eat fish occasionally and eggs from friends’ hens that I know are well cared for. I’ve spent times in boxes called ‘VEGETARIAN’ and ‘VEGAN’ and ‘PESCATARIAN’ but now if anyone asks I’ll say I’m a flexitarian. Long ago I got tired of explaining why I eat the way I do or what I eat and what I choose not to. We have the great privilege to be able to reinvent ourselves though the course of our lifetimes, and there is no need to adhere to a particular way of being if you find something that is healthier and better for you. It’s all about finding what works best for you.

Back to the eczema issue. I've had an irritating re-occurrence that has hung about for the past six months or so. I know what to do to fix it, but I've been lucky enough to have the lovely David cooking for me as he is much keener on the kitchen that I am. He is the product of an English/Italian background and plies me with wonderful cheesy, creamy, buttery pasta based delights and a salad for him is based on stuff out of tins. No criticism. We are all different and that works for him. It doesn't work so well for me….sadly…it is all so delicious! So I’ve taken myself back into the kitchen and I’m doing less grain foods and no animal dairy foods. I’m doing more green smoothies (aka pond sludge) and big green delicious salads that take ages to eat but I know they’re doing me good.  The eczema is slowly caving in and returning to where it came from and I am feeling calmer and more in control of my destiny! I’ve started walking again too…at last!

A friend called in the other day for a cuppa and while he was here I was talking about munching away happily on chocolate even though I know it’s not helping me right now. He made a statement that rammed itself into my brain; SICK PEOPLE CAN’T MAKE GOOD CHOICES FOR THEMSELVES. Wow! Isn't that so true. All the time my health is below par I’m hankering for chocolate, biscuits, ice-cream, pies, sugary drinks…(which reminds me that I did write recently that I’d stop sugar again due to headaches…but I didn't do so well and now I get it…sick people can’t make good choices…). So I have that statement firmly in my head and I know I’ve been unwell for ages and making poor choices for my health. I can make better choices. I will make better choices. I am making better choices. I've been enjoying my walks so much! I miss them when I’m not going, but I just couldn't seem to get moving. Now I’m moving and feeling good. Which leads me to today’s story; the Cowfish.

I was walking on the beach last night, on my way home and thinking to myself wouldn't it be cool to find something really interesting for the beach combing collection. Do you have one of those? All of us that live near the sea seem to acquire a collection of odd bits and pieces that we find along the shore. It’s always changing…always bringing new surprises with every tide. Well, I was wandering along with that thought in my head and spotted a rather interesting looking roundish, sandy coloured rock that was not a rock. Venturing closer to investigate, I found it was a very dead fascinating little creature with a horny, rough but beautifully patterned exoskeleton…in good condition but a little smelly. Just what I was hoping for; something unusual and interesting.  Carrying it gently but firmly by the tail, I headed up the hill towards home. En route I considered what my story would be for David, if he found it disgusting or odd that I should carry a dead fish home.

Well, I’m a Leo…and they are cats….and cats carry all sorts of things home to show their families…and that is my story. I couldn't help it because I’m a Leo.  Luckily he needed no convincing that this was indeed a treasure and I used his Iphone to Google Images and confirm that it was a Cowfish as I suspected. In fact, it appears to be a Shaw’s Cowfish, but feel welcome to enlighten me if you know differently. That’s me for today; choosing to live better because I can. I’m lucky; I have a choice. 

Why would any of us choose to remain unwell when we can choose to be well? Let’s leave that little question for another day.

This is a picture of a living Shaw's Cowfish (C) Duncan Giblin taken in Norfolk Bay, Southeastern Tasmania. I hope he won't mind me sharing it with you here.

Poor little Cowfish suspended by linen thread to allow the forces of nature to reduce it to its hard shell.

I had placed it near where some bull ants had been seen in the garden...with a heavy clay pot over the top of it...hoping the ants would clean it up for me. This is a method commonly used to clean seashells that smell unfriendly. Please make sure the creatures are deceased before using this method - bad smell is usually a good indicator.

You can see some of the delicate and beautiful patterning on the side here. Amazing creature.

Things sent to try us!

For the past couple of months, since I moved with David into this lovely little house on the hillside looking over the bay, my computer has been set up in the open-plan living area. The desk it was set upon was a lovely roll-top timber one, and David carved a hole in the back of it to feed all the wires through so they were out of sight and tidy. The trouble is that the desk was a little bit small so the keyboard was right on the edge of the desk and the screen almost directly above it. I understood that it was nice for me to be there in the middle of things, but the truth is that for me, as a writer, I operate better with all my bits n pieces of clutter around me and I need my wrists resting on the desk as I type and the screen to be a good two feet away from my face. I tried to cope with it there at the back of the couch with the tv playing happily over to my right, but what happened was…I couldn't write. We all know that artists can be fickle, and it seems even this humble blog writer was completely and frustratingly stymied by the situation.

This morning I drew enough courage to move the computer outside to my office space outside next to the garage. Now that might seem a simple enough thing and one that wouldn't cause the average Joe or Josephine the slightest ruffle, but for me this was a hard thing to do. I didn't want to hurt David’s feelings after all the rearranging of things he had done, including the modification to his lovely timber desk, to make sure I was there with him in the lounge area so that I could theoretically work away on my blog or whatever project was in the offing whilst he relaxed and watched tv. Dilemma. 

I don’t like to hurt anyone. I don’t like to upset anyone. And sometimes because I am tip-toeing around trying not to annoy anyone, I become annoying!! So really, to take the bull by the horns today and move the computer is a victory for me and better for us all because 1) You get to read another of my daggy confessions while you have a cup of tea or a stiff drink and 2) The niggling discomfort of being in a space I was not happy in is now gone and 3) Because I am not tip-toeing anymore and worrying about being annoying, I am hopefully, going to be less difficult to live with!

I have my reasons for being so odd in my approach to things, as many of us do, but I’m not going into all that. I’m just sitting here blissfully happy at my great big folding trestle table desk with my large twig Christmas tree embellished with clay birds and hearts that Mum and I sat here and threaded and beaded last weekend reaching over the top of the computer screen, and I finally feel at home again. I can write without the slightest inhibition because I have everything just where I need it. The thing is…when I first connected everything up and got ready to roll, there was no internet signal. Blah! The things sent to try us! I thought to myself…here I am, finally got this where I need it and now I can’t post a blog even if I write one. How to get around that one??? Well, it seems a bit of patience is paying off and now I have a couple of bars of signal. Will it be enough to get online and actually do anything? I’m not sure. I do love a good internet connection, don’t you?

Many of the older folk I talk to…yes, I mean older than me…who have a computer but don’t see the point in having it really, are suffering from either a computer virus, too little RAM memory (as opposed to failing brain cell memory) or a crummy internet connection. When everything is working as it should they are just brilliant. I love my computer and the connection it gives me to the world out there…to you! I will keep going with my writing regardless, and store them up in Word Docs for you, and I’ll post them when I have a good signal. How does that sound?

As if in response to my inner self, the dull, wet, dreary morning has transformed to a wonder of sunlit sparkling droplets outside my window here. If I look over my right shoulder I can still catch a glimpse of the bay through the trees through the open door. It’s good to be alive and it’s good to be writing again. 

Until soon, Kerry 

PS I don't mean to sound like a spoiled brat...and not for a moment do I take for granted what I have here. My heart breaks when I see on the tv the devastation around the world through natural disasters, wars, negligence, abuse, poverty and illness. The people and animals in the midst of all those things are being tested to the limits of their endurance and it is sometimes pathetic to think of the small things that we find inconvenient in our lives. Last week I heard someone grumbling at the supermarket because there was an aisle with a dead-end...they had to do a U-turn with their trolley. There is a major refit going on as the store is brought up to national standards. I was stunned as I felt their angry demeanor and saw their stern faces. Perhaps they weren't well so things were harder for them...I don't know, and I don't mean to criticize, but gosh we are well off if we have a supermarket to shop in, money to pay for food, and legs that can get us there to do it. So please forgive my grumbling and give a thought to those that need your positive vibes and loving prayers to sustain them as they go through circumstances none of us would choose. Love to you all out there. 

Carwash Sunday - it only happens twice a year!!

I lay in bed this morning feeling very relaxed and happy here in our little home on the hill looking out over the bay. Sunday mornings are lovely aren't they...no alarm clocks...time to just be in the moment and enjoy the thrill of being alive. As I lay there I noticed that it wasn't raining and started to entertain the idea of cleaning my car. I have such a beaut little car and I never take it for granted. I am so lucky to have the convenience of a small car that uses little fuel and that stands at my beck and call. It is my car so it is always there waiting for me. What a huge privilege it is to be able to decide to go somewhere, step outside the door and go. There are millions of people around the world who don't have that simple luxury...I am so thankful. I count my blessings. I am content. 

My trusty little Hyundai is a '99 model so in its fourteenth year. The paint is kind of shabby and sad looking and there is a bump in the hood that's been there since we bought it second-hand back in about 2003 or '4. The owner said she'd hit a kangaroo one night on the way home from work and that had caused the damage. It's only a little bump and I can't imagine ever having it fixed as it's part of her history, assuming the car is female for now! In the same way I'm sure I'll never have Botox or a facelife; my face and body show that I have lived and I'm happy for that to be as it is. Imperfections are a bonus in a way. I can't imagine having the worry of a new and shiny car in the parking lot and waiting for some careless person to drag a supermarket trolley or bicycle handle down its length. My little car is rough and ready enough that another little bump or scratch is not the end of the world. At the same time, she's neat enough that I'm not embarrassed to drive her!! 

Did I mention that cleaning the car is one of my least favourite jobs? It is. I never mind doing it once I get started but getting started is next to impossible. I don't know why it's so hard...or what it is that makes me decide 'no' so regularly. Perhaps it's just an idiosyncrasy! Anyway, laying in bed I decided that I would clean the car. I was feeling quite energetic given that I've had a week of headaches and head colds and blocked sinuses. You know how it is when you start to feel better again...I can do anything!!! Move mountains! Maybe we need that down time feeling a bit crook to gain a bit of strength and energy for such an onerous task. 

Yesterday I achieved great things. My good friend Sue delivered two bookshelves into my tender loving care as she is busy down-sizing, and I needed more shelving to store my books and paperwork and...stuff. Woohoo! I was so excited to know I could finally get organised.  My office space is in a room outside attached to the side of the garage and it is also the storage area as we can't use the garage. I know that seems weird but we're renting here and the owners, who are off adventuring on the high seas, have their stuff in the garage. So in that room are the tools and the camping stuff, the spare bed, the freezer and lots of other junk. Arranged more of less. And I had to find space to get two bookshelves in there too. I knew they were going to make things better, but it didn't necessarily look that way to begin with and I was getting some sideways glances as I assured David that it would all work out just fine. I got stuck into it...lots of muscle lugging stuff this way and that ( I work better alone in situations like this...where I'm organising my 'stuff')...and by 7 o'clock last night I had a well organised and functional space so was very chuffed. I think that's what spurred me to greater things today...what gave me the courage to tackle the car.

The fact that the car doesn't get cleaned very often means it can be a bit of a job. I don't store old cans, bottles and wrappers or anything like that...but still, it does get gritty and dusty and generally sad looking. I dug the vacuum cleaner out of the storage room, found the bag with the extension cords and moved the car into the nearest to the power-point position. I opened the doors and the boot. The hydraulics in the boot are temperamental and I didn't want to be slammed on the head so I went back and found the wind out curtain rail (also in the storage room) and wound it out and placed it so the boot was held safely aloft. I started to vacuum...it was a mess in there because I've used it for carting wood for the fire and have never thought of using a tarp...you know those cheap blue ones you get from the bargain shops...well after picking and vacuuming seventeen million splinters from the carpet in the boot I've decided to get one! Someone please put it on the Christmas list 'cos I'm sure to forget. While I was busy I noticed a few spots of rain. Darn...I had several extension cords hooked up to one another to stretch across the distance so I found a magnetic white board (a small one) and a pewter bowl with seashells molded into the rim and placed them over the joins. Safety first! I did have to work around a few showers and I did bang myself a beauty on the side of the head whilst doing the inside of the car...so hard it made me feel sick! I kept going for a while but then took a breakfast break while I gathered my senses again! 

There were other minor hurdles like what I think was the window tint breaking down on the passenger side window...it was tough to move and disintegrated into beautiful silver fairy dust as I scrubbed...but first created a whitish paste...it was very odd. I'm very proud to report that I have a moderately clean car. I've Windex-ed the dash and dry shampooed the carpet and upholstery. She smells amazing and looks pretty spiffy too for an old girl. I might have washed the outside too, but between the two households we have recently blended to create a new us, we seem not to have a bucket! Please also add that to the Christmas list, haha!! I thought about taking her through the car wash this afternoon so the outside can look as good, but for now I'm making do with cleaning the side mirrors. I don't want to overdo it. She may die of shock and I'd miss her too much. Besides...I'm sure the spider that festoons the mirrors on a daily basis would find the weather a little too chilly for a high pressure wash at this time of year...perhaps around January when it's hot and dry. Although it would hardly be worth it then...with all the dust on our road.

Which jobs do find you keep on putting off...almost forever!??

PS I did head to the bargain shop this afternoon, to buy pegs and a few other bits for school. I forgot to pick up a bucket and a small tarp...see above!

A Little Reminder to Take Care of You!

Ups and Downs
Life is full of ups and downs. Here are a few things you can do for yourself to help the downs feel less and to create a few more up moments. It's really important to take a little time for loving yourself and enjoying being in your skin. If you remember to do that, there will be more of you to give. If you take the time to care for yourself, others will care for you more too. If you are kind to yourself, it will allow you to be kinder to others because you will not need to feel resentment. When we don't give ourselves time for ourselves - for care of our bodies, minds and spirits, we can become angry and resentful and that spills out into our lives and the lives of those we care about.

Be Thankful
For the awareness of being alive, for all that you have, for all you can be and do. If you can't do all of the things below, you might be able to do one. Give thanks for that. An attitude of thankfulness can make life feel better all on it's own.

Foot Soak
Fill a large plastic bowl with very warm water, add half a cup of milk infused with a few drops of peppermint oil. Soak feet for ten to fifteen minutes then pat dry with a soft towel. Give yourself a long, slow foot massage with your favourite moisturiser. Pop on a pair of white cotton socks to protect your feet while the moisturiser soaks in. Put those feet up while you enjoy a nice cup of tea and a magazine.

Manicure
Arrange all your bits and pieces before you begin. Nail polish, remover, base coat, files, nail clippers, bowl of warm water, nail brush and soft towel and moisturiser. Allow yourself time to enjoy the process.  Do your nails then take the time to enjoy a good hand massage with a nourishing moisturiser. Love your hands. They work so hard for you. Don't rush the process. Take time to appreciate your hands.

Cup of Tea
Make yourself a really nice hot cup of tea and give yourself time to sit and drink it while it's still hot. If you're having a biscuit then taste it. What can you taste? Can you identify the different ingredients? Breathe. Enjoy the moment. It's a gift.

Write yourself a thank you note
Write a note to yourself and thank yourself for all that you do. Pretend that it's coming from someone else and accept the thanks. You know that lots of people are probably thankful for the things you do, but just don't think to say thank you. Say it yourself. Mean it. You are brilliant at being you. You are unique. No one else can be you. Make a list of things you like about yourself. Then say thanks. If you don't think you like anything about yourself, look harder...think harder. Like that you can read. Like that you can see. Like that you can think. Like that you are alive. Like that you can learn to love yourself more. Thank you. 

Write to someone else
Write a note or card to thank someone else for something. It might be a small thing or a big thing. Think about the things others do (not necessarily for you) that you take for granted. Do you notice someone being kind to someone else? Do you notice someone doing some little thing that makes the world a better place? Say thank you for once. Imagine how good that other person will feel to know that they're making a difference. We all like to be appreciated.

Light a candle
Any time, day or night. Light a candle and watch the flame. Enjoy the movement it makes. Concentrate on it for a few minutes. Leave the world behind and just be with the light for a little while. Breathe deeply and evenly and feel the peace it gives you. Be gentle in your spirit. Love yourself and life.

Pick a flower
Pick one flower. Smell the fragrance. Notice the structure and form of the different parts. Marvel at the beauty of this simple thing. Notice the veins, the colours, the shapes. Be thankful. Realise that a flower is one small fragment of a wonderful world. 

Draw
Grab a pencil and some paper and draw just for fun. Even just lines on the page. Wavy lines, little circles. Anything you feel like doing. Don't think about what it is meant to look like. Just enjoy the movement of your hand and the marks that are happening on the page. It's not for anyone else. Just for you. Enjoy the process. If it turns into something recognisable that's okay. It's also okay if it doesn't. It's okay if it looks like a two year old drew it. It's okay. Just feel the process and let any tension flow out through the pencil onto the paper and let it go. When you're done you can keep it or throw it away or burn it; whatever feels right.

Stretch
Do you get up in the morning without stretching? Take a few minutes to really stretch your body in any way you can. Feel how tall you can make yourself feel. Learn a few yoga stretches and enjoy feeling your body move and stretch and rest. Squeeze the tension out and let it disappear into the atmosphere. Imagine it flowing out of you and away into the clouds. 

Rest
Allow yourself some time to just do nothing. Sit and close your eyes. Hear your breath. Allow it to slow down and follow it in and out. Realise the miracle of life. It rests in that breath. In and out. Such a gift. Such a wonder.

Be kind
Do you get mad at yourself? I do. Pressure to be and do so much all the time. Pressure to meet someone else's expectations. We can feel that we are never enough. We can't possibly be all things to all people. Whilst it is not realistic to 'please oneself' all the time, choose what you do and how you do it. Say no to things that compromise your personal values. Be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to be who you are. Remember that you're a work in progress. You will be growing and changing for your whole life. If you don't like who you are now, at least accept and love who you are and make gentle changes that take you towards the you you'd like to be. 

Sleep
Get as much sleep as you can. Television and the computers have become great thieves of sleep. There is always one more movie to watch, one more episode to see, one more game to play, one more level to achieve. The result is that we spend too much time awake! Sleep is our time of restoration. We need it. I slept eleven hours the other night. Straight up. I was tired and not feeling so well, but I felt so much better after a long sleep. I think about how often I am ready for bed but something comes on tv that grabs my attention and before I know it I've stayed up another couple of hours. Once I get past that first sleepy stage, I don't seem to want to go to bed again for hours and hours. I'm going to try to take more notice of that first hint of sleepiness and honour it. If it comes at 8.30 then I'll go to bed and sleep. Turning the tv and computer off and reading or meditating for a little while could help with inducing sleepiness. Our brains need a little time to slow down after all the excitement of movies and computer games. 

Walk
Take a walk around the garden or anywhere outside. Feel the weather, smell the smells, see the colours, hear the sounds, feel your body moving, the breeze against your face and hands. Get into the moment and get into the movement. Note to self. Do this more often. It's guaranteed to improve your mood and your health. My aunt is in her seventies and has had two hip replacements. She uses a stick for insurance but still she walks the dog every day. She lives in England and she walks every day regardless of the weather or how she feels. If walking every day repays you with the great sense of fun and joie de vivre she emotes, then it has to be a good thing! She is one of my heroes.

Dance and sing
Whenever I sing someone tells me not to give up my day job...but I do it anyway! Singing feels good. It makes me laugh. I drum on containers, I jiggle and dance just for the joy of moving. It's not pretty. I don't care. I'm saying to you now, rejoice in being alive...your body is yours so enjoy how it feels. Dance at home on your own if that's the only time it feels good. Dance in the little room if that's the only privacy you have. Dance, feel good and let the smile spread across your face. Imagine the music if you have to. We all can dance to the rhythm of life. We all can sing. Have you ever heard anyone say "I can't sing". Phooey to that. If you have a voice baby, you can sing. So sing. If someone laughs, feel good that you gave them a giggle.

What do you do?
What do you do to feel good when you need a little time out to repair yourself? It is a bit like patching up. We all go through rough times in different ways. We all need fixing up sometimes!! Don't be ashamed if you need some down time. Go for it. Do it.You only need to give yourself permission.