My little book of moments

When I started my blog over two and a half years ago, I had no idea that the journey would change my life, forever. 
I vividly remember the first time I hit the 'Publish' button. Suddenly the words were no longer just inside my heart...they flew out into the world for all to see. Since then, I have received many emails from a variety of followers: some funny, some heartbreaking, all beautifully honest. I continue to be touched by every single one. 
After a while, I started reading suggestions that I should write a book based on the blog. At first, I was incredibly touched...Then after a few more followers mentioned the same thing, I began to wonder...
And so 'The Little Book Of Moments' was born. 
It is a lovingly chosen collection of a few of my favourite pieces, with a few new ones written especially for the book. Every piece has a beautiful hand-drawn illustration to accompany it.

Keeping the feel of this blog close to its heart, my book takes a sideways look at love, life, and everything in between. The bite-sized moments will take you through the everyday/ordinary and open you up to the life lessons hidden within every situation.
I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart for following my blog every single week and for being the most important part of the journey. 
Love and light always!


'The Little Book Of Moments' is out now on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, and Amazon.eu

Morning chatter

Sunday morning, and a chorus of Wood Pigeons call in the distance. It is the first thing I hear as I wake. Still dozy from sleep, I listen as one repeats the same three notes over, and over again. Then another joins in, this time with five. It is all I hear until they suddenly stop. Stillness. 
Then in the silence, I yawn. My tummy rumbles. And the pigeons return. Then a Crow. Then a Sparrow. Then something else I can't identify: a strange, deep squawk. It was definitely a bird of sorts, but not one that I have heard before. Or maybe it was a child. 
As I listen on to the orchestra of sounds, my mind suddenly skips back to another time: London Zoo, a light drizzle falling onto my face as I stood listening to the Peacocks. Trying hard to mimic their call, I began repeating back exactly what I heard, subtly adjusting the quality of my sound each time until eventually we merged and became one. I smile at the memory of seeing the rest of my drama school friends all doing the same thing. The next day we would find ourselves back together in class, all laughing at the strange looks we received from the rest of the visitors around us, before making the room come alive once again with lions, and tigers, and Peacocks, oh my! 
I chuckle at the seeming randomness of life...
And as the birds continue to chatter outside my window, in between the squawking and singing, I begin to drift off once again into a deep morning sleep.

Homeward bound

As the train speeds through the tunnel, music floats into my ears. Scenes from earlier splash into my mind and begin to overlap: My friend's sweet little boy roaring like a monster, her lovely twin daughters randomly discussing Hula Hoops, us reminiscing about days gone by, and the rain that began to fall lightly over our picnic, making us pack up and call it a day...

Then I suddenly remember the old man playing a piano in the main concourse of St Pancras station just moments before we said goodbye. We stood there transfixed, watching him lost in his music, us getting lost in him.

My reverie speeds up time, and before I know it, I am standing on the wet evening platform once again, close to home. I watch the train disappear into the distance and suddenly realise that there is no one else around. I feel the light drizzle on my face and stand looking up into a darkening sky. Right at this moment, my friend and her family are speeding out of the city, whilst the piano man is settled in his seat, dozing peacefully as his train sways onwards.

And as I walk down the length of the platform towards the stairs, a thought occurs to me: even if I had wanted to, with all the will in the world, I couldn't have orchestrated this exact evening: The piano man, the picnic in the rain, the moments we laughed; all set against a dark blue, late August sky.

And all it takes is a second...a second to stop, a moment to realise, that we have so much more to be grateful for than we will ever know.

Just visiting

I used to think I had just one pace in this city when I first arrived...Two decades later, I've discovered another. There are times in our life when all we can do is let go and allow the current to take us where it will. With nowhere else to get to for at least another hour, I slow my stride and begin to melt into the swarm of strangers. In between shoulder bags and cameras and shorts and smiles, I snatch glimpses of a city I love, foreign to my crowd, familiar to me. Big Ben glints in the early evening sunset behind red buses, black cabs, and bicycles.
I stop sporadically as tourists in front of me pose wearily against a sunset skyline; a long day of walking and exploring finally taking its toll. I watch as they soak everything in. It will soon be time for them to head back to their hotel to shower and change before heading out again for dinner.
Once across the river, I find myself retreating to the park opposite Westminster. This is my favourite part of killing time...I love people watching. The blonde-haired girl cartwheels freely across the grass and heads towards the Japanese couple freezing for a picture with their fingers held playfully in a peace sign - I love this pose. Maybe deep down, that's all the majority of us want for the planet anyway. There are kids playing around the bronze statue now, and I chuckle to myself as they hold onto the giant finger to dance with it. Their laughter rings out across the grass, becoming part of the city soundtrack.
A Union Jack blows gently in the breeze high upon a rooftop.
Suddenly a bee buzzes sleepily past and I follow its journey around behind me. I realise that I've been sitting right in front of a wall of lavender this whole time. And so I reach behind to squeeze a piece of it in between my fingers. The scent fills my nostrils and floods me with happiness...
Tonight, I am right where I'm meant to be.