Courage to Face Long Loss

Being with a loved one through a degenerative illness or disease takes us on a journey that requires courage. Rather than an immediate singular loss, we experience ‘long loss’ which includes multiple losses and changes over time. Long loss requires us to face, endure, and adapt to what is happening. Written from a personal perspective of supporting older parents with vascular dementia and episodic delirium, this book defines and applies courage to manage this form of loss.

Included is the wisdom of older adults from Christchurch, Aotearoa, New Zealand, who took part in the author’s doctoral study into courage. Their life experiences in managing adversity, from coping with a bombing in World War II to surviving domestic violence, illustrate courage, grit and resilience – and how to put these into action. Through the sharing of personal insights and knowledge, this book supports the application of inner strength and courage to help stay the course when experiencing the long loss of a loved one.

Don't Expect a Standing Ovation

How shall I lead my life? What will bring me happiness (and can I possibly know this in advance)? Where do my ethical values, feelings and opinions come from? How do I know if I really understand something, or are my judgements always just opinions? Should I be optimistic or pessimistic about ‘human nature’ – including my own, of course? Finally, are there any ‘objective’ answers to all of this or is any answer always as good as any other?

If such questions seem important to you personally, then this book is written for you. Its focus is precisely on methods for understanding better the nature of our experience, behaving more ethically and with greater emotional awareness.

Don’t Expect a Standing Ovation is a reworking in contemporary terms of an ancient Buddhist teaching on meditation, but it is intended for readers of any ‘faith’ (or none), i.e., for anyone who is open to meditation as a possibly helpful practical response to the sense of unease arising from the questions listed above. Buddhist teachings are, therefore, introduced not as a ‘religion’ but as a combination of psychological, ethical and philosophical ideas that are nevertheless in themselves not unfamiliar.

The teaching consists of fifty-nine slogans or maxims, which taken together form a practical handbook of guidance in responding skilfully (and indeed, therefore, ‘wisely’) in our everyday interactions with others.

Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned from My Houseplants

Life is a journey and finding our place in that life can feel overwhelming. Who am I? Where do I belong? How do I cultivate a life that makes my heart happy?

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.” ― Lao Tzu

While there are many books written on self-discovery, Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned from My Houseplants is unique in its approach by using the growth cycle and care of houseplants to impart wisdom and essential life lessons for living an authentic life.

Throughout the book, the author’s own journey of personal growth unfolds alongside practical information and care tips for raising happy, healthy houseplants. While this little book tackles some tough topics, such as her struggle with depression and experience in an abusive relationship, it is done with a lightness and humour that makes you feel like you’ve known the author for years.

This book will leave you feeling inspired and ready to change and improve your own life, as well as those of your houseplants.

Fallen Through The Cracks

Press your chin hard against your throat. Now turn your head to the left and lift your left shoulder until it touches your ear. Keep your chin against your throat, your left ear against your left shoulder, contract your neck and shoulder muscles as tightly as you can and hold it like that for the rest of your life. That’s right. Eat like that, brush your teeth like that, drive like that and keep your head like that when you go to sleep at night.

This is what psychiatrists in South Africa did to me and they expect me to live like that for the rest of my life.

Good Fat Lip Smack Diet

This book is a practical, informative approach to “begin your journey” into weight loss. The idea of “good fats” as opposed to the unhealthy and detrimental “saturated fats” sets this method apart from the rest.

Other dieting methods are critically evaluated and exercise routines are covered briefly. There is a worldwide pandemic of obesity in developed and some developing countries.

Sugar is the killer!

Grow a Perfect Day

It helps to hear a few uplifting words to complement our daily lives. Grow a perfect day is written by the inspiring author of Swimming through the reeds. Victoria's words will touch your heart and positively enrich your life. The words within will bring to you a sense of perspective that will encourage you to dispel any negative thoughts or sense of lethargy. Believe you can and you will attract more happiness and goodness. You will find yourself becoming one step closer towards making your dreams and goals come true.

H.A.G.S. with Attitude: A Philosophy for Ageing

This book is aimed at women aged 50 plus who refuse to join the ranks of the invisible older women. The book challenges the anti-ageing rhetoric and the attitude that seeps into every aspect of life. The title of the book is deliberate. Firstly, to prevent us from taking ourselves too seriously. Secondly, to understand the true meaning of hags and thirdly, as a mnemonic that captures the key themes of the book, namely Healthy living, Attitude, Get up and go, and Social connections.

Longevity is a relatively new phenomenon and we are all learning to deal with the consequences of an ageing population. Therefore, there is no blueprint for ageing, granting us the freedom to write the script. So, instead of lamenting the effects of our ageing bodies and sagging body parts, this book aims to provide inspiration through the stories and experiences of other women who have gone before and not only survived, but in many instances, thrived.

The book offers a practical and philosophical prism for women to make their own choices of how to live life beyond 50. It provides a set of guiding principles to encourage women to be bold and embrace this new phase of life with vigour. We, as a significant and influential group of women around the globe, have to share our wisdom and voices of reason that is needed more than ever before.

Hard Rain

This is the story of a British soldier serving in strife-torn Northern Ireland. A story of a soldier caught between necessary use of force and admiration for the people he had been tasked to put down.

Bomber’s Lament

Watch and wait in the dark

Don’t be afraid, killers can be killed

Like other men, don’t be afraid

Point the gun and squeeze the trigger

Killing is easy, living with it is hard

Dreams come, they go, only bad dreams

Where are the good dreams?

They died when you squeezed the trigger

The killers went to hell to burn and die

Your hell is here, it will last forever

God will forgive, if I ask him now

God has gone, leaving this world in disgust

He gave us paradise, we have destroyed it

Destroyed through greed and religious jealousy

The hard rain fell but couldn’t cleanse the soul

Nothing will cleanse it, for this we must suffer

Priests, man, woman, child, terrorist and soldier

The unborn have a chance but the hard rain fell

Bomber cried for help to God, no help came

Cried to his fellow man, they didn’t hear him

Only the warm arms of a woman gave comfort

Soothing an aching heart, wiping away the tears

All was not lost for God is still with us

Just listen and do what you know is right

Hold fast against evil that would control the world

Keep a strong heart, don’t be afraid of the dark

Our arms and hearts are strong, we will go on

God, where is he? He is in us to strike down evil

And the killers in the dark will be banished

But the hard rain fell and Bomber cried.

The first book featuring Bomber Brown, The Wolves of the Radfan, tells of his early life as a soldier fighting in the Middle East. Following on from Hard Rain, Bomber finds himself in more trouble in The Darkness. A story of how easy it is to go from good to bad in Northern Ireland and Switzerland.

Healthy Habits While Working from Home

A shift to at-home working may be one of the lesser side-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some will undoubtedly welcome longer lie-ins, saved commuting costs, and more time with loved ones. It may sound appealing, but WFH could have drastic consequences for your health.

A lack of social contact can take a huge toll on our mental well-being, with many relying on ‘water cooler chat’ to save them from the despair of loneliness. As if the emotional impact of WFH was not stark enough, unsupportive chairs and make-shift desks are leading to a rise in ‘tech neck,’ with muscular niggles becoming a daily ache.

Not to mention the stress of mixing home with work, and unhealthy snacks always being on hand! WFH may also make us couch potatoes, as the stroll to and from the station gets taken out of the equation. As if all that wasn’t enough, rolling from the bedroom to the boardroom – only to work into the evening – is a recipe for burn-out.

Healthy Habits While Working from Home provides practical, expert-led advice on how to stay physically and mentally well in a remote office while we adapt to the ‘new normal.’

How to BE the Change We Need

Why doesn’t our politics ‘do what it says on the tin’? What on earth happened to ‘Truth’, ‘Responsibility’, ‘Honesty’ and ‘Trust’? The words and concepts have long been familiar. They are all ‘on the tin’, so to speak. But not much sign, anywhere, of putting them into practice!

So what actually needs to change? Not just our values or our ideas but, surely, our behaviour, our habits. We don’t just need a description of the changes we want to see, but an understanding of how we can BE those changes. And this is where meditation comes in.

Meditation not just as thinking, but as actions that we practise until they become habits. To enable us not only to think differently about politics but to develop forms of awareness that enable us to respond more effectively – with greater self-knowledge, imagination and sensitivity.

So this is a book for us to practise with, and the final section is a practical guide to meditation methods.

The details of the meditation practices are derived largely from the philosophical and psychological teachings of Buddhism, but the book is intended for those of any faith (or none) or of any political persuasion.

So enjoy: perhaps this book will make all the difference!

I Dreamt I Was Flying

I Dreamt I was Flying is an authentic, timeless and transformational book about a true and magical journey of healing, guided and supported by dreams, symbols, and synchronicities.
In the time of chaos, insecurity and lack of leadership, we need to be our own authority. Gro Elisabeth Walle is reminding us that we need to trust our inner knowing and let our heart lead.
When her life collapsed, Gro Elisabeth Walle finally had to choose between letting go – or giving up. When she chose to let go of everything that she owned and was known to, she discovered a never-ending supportive and magical universe. She learned to trust, she was surrounded by “road-signs” and supported by “unseen help”. She discovered the universe was just waiting to help her when her life forced her out of her comfort zone. She heard the words “read the signs” whispered again and again, continuously through her magical journey. That showed to be her rescue. She saw her life in perspective, and it all made sense: both her perceived pain-stories and her journey. It all became magical when she discovered every experience had been an attempt from her Higher Self to awake her from an unconscious life.

Impact the Air That You Breathe

Everything that lives on this planet of ours has one thing in common: It’s not wealth or lack of it; It’s not belief’s ability or happiness; It’s the air that we breathe. It’s owned by every single one of us and no one has a bigger share than anyone else. That is what makes it special, and the most precious item in the world.

Without it we don’t exist. Breathing air is the first thing we do at the beginning of our life and when we stop breathing it, we stop. So in between these two important milestones in our lives what do we do with this gift. Do you get value from the air that you breathe? In the past you may have had glimpses or experiences of who you want to be. But for whatever reason it could not be maintained, and you slipped back into old habits and responsibilities.

When you impact the air that you breathe, you are going to make a huge impact on your world. You are going to move your world to a different dimension of success and well-being. I believe that your best results are just waiting there to be discovered, if you are willing to do the work. If you keep taking action and follow the steps, it’s only a matter of time until you impact the air that you breathe. It’s up to you: your results will happen as quickly as you want them to happen. Results don’t lie: you will always be where you are because of your results.