ONCE UPON A DREAM; Study Goals & CPD

Over the course of the last few months I have been working on a new course of study - this time in Pet Bereavement Counselling and I am happy to say that I passed last week.  This is a course that I have wanted to do since my cat Pyewackett died two years ago and I noticed a general lack of empathy for people who are grieving for their pet.  I have also published a few psychotherapy features on this topic too, as it is rarely addressed.

It wasn't an easy course to get through as you can probably imagine and I certainly could not have done it last year, or the year before, as it was too close to Pye's death.  But it was on my list of study goals and I am so happy to have completed the course.  Now I have a new qualification certificate on the way to me and another string to my counselling bow.  Pyewackett would be so proud! 

I also want to do another short course this summer and I am leaning towards something more creative.  I want to get all my required CPD done by the end of summer, so that I can concentrate fully on the Masters degree, which I start in September.  I need to have cleared the decks for that to become my main focus. 

I enjoy studying new topics and I thrive when I feel that I am learning something new.  I can't wait for September so that I can get stuck into the Masters degree, but in the meantime, I didn't want to just stop learning.  Last year I did courses in Life Coaching; Creative Arts Therapy; and Military Counselling.  This year I have done Pet Bereavement Counselling and I am planning to do at least one other short course before I go back to university this autumn. 

I am a big believer in setting goals for studying, otherwise it is too easy to pretend that you don't have the time for it.  But if you make it a goal to have achieved a certain qualification by a certain date, then you are more likely to make the time.  My goal for this year is to have done my CPD across two short courses of study by the end of August.  Now that one is already in the bag, I still have three months to achieve the second.  I'll probably take a couple of weeks off studying and then sign up for a new course in mid-June. 

By the end of summer I plan to be certificated and qualified in all the areas of counselling and psychotherapy that interest me.  Then I can move on to something new and even more exciting! 

BOOK NOOK; I'm Now A Book Fairy!

As a life long book worm and an author for over twenty years, I have amassed a great many books.  I love books and I get very attached to my favourites - like the red leather bound copies of classics such as Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice and Little Women etc, that I got for Christmas from my parents when I was fifteen. Some books I just can't bring myself to part with. 

However, as much as I love books, being a bibliophile can be somewhat impractical; books take up a lot of space, they accumulate more rapidly than you might imagine and they do get packed away in boxes and forgotten - at least they do in my house.

Since childhood I have believed that stories are for everyone.  I remember lending some of my Enid Blyton books to a girl who lived up the street, happy to share them, only to have her controlling mother complain that I was 'encouraging Teresa to ask for books we can't afford to buy!'  That was never my intention and even then I tried to explain that I was happy for Teresa to borrow my books whenever she wanted, because stories and books are for everyone.  I still believe this.

As an adult though, I realize that books can be expensive, that buying them is a luxury not a necessity and owning a collection of them is a privilege.   While I don't lend out my favourite books anymore, having lost a few treasured gems that were never returned, I am still happy to share those books I have finished with.

This is for two very good reasons. Firstly, I am rich in books and I simply don't have the space to keep all those that I have bought and had sent to me over the years. Secondly, I want to share the passion I have for literature and writing.  In the past I have donated piles of books to local libraries and charity shops; given an entire collection of poetry books to my mum's neighbour; and passed books on to friends and family too.  If I know I won't read it again, I am happy to give it away - for free. I just want the books to go to someone who will enjoy them. 

Many people have asked me why I don't just sell my unwanted books on Amazon Marketplace and make my money back?  It's because not all of the books I own were bought by me - some were sent to me from publishers and some were gifted.  Also, I don't want to wait for someone to decide to buy my old books - after a clear out, I want them out of the way, so I can indulge in buying new books! I just don't have the space to store them all. 

Literature opens doors for people - the more widely read you are, the richer your inner mental landscape will become and the more opportunities you will have, because you will come across as being knowledgeable and educated.   Books are a university in and of themselves. All you have to do is read.

Which is why I decided to become a Book Fairy and after another clear out of books over the weekend, I plan on making my first Book Fairy drop over the bank holiday.  Being a Book Fairy means that I will be hiding my unwanted books in public spaces around my home town. I might even do a Book Fairy drop when I'm up in Scotland later this year. 

I first came across the Book Fairy movement on social media, as Emma Watson is one of their ambassadors and a Book Fairy herself.  I loved the concept of digging out books you enjoyed but no longer want, and leaving them hidden in public places for observant strangers to find - for free!  It's exactly what I was trying to do as a child - share stories for free.  I will even be dropping some signed copies of my own books too.  Everyone loves a freebie!

For me, the nature of the Book Fairy movement is entirely altruistic.  It is about sharing books of all kinds, with people you'll never meet, in the hopes of brightening their day and maybe introducing them to a new author, a new genre, a new insight or just a sense of having made a lucky find.  It put smiles on peoples faces.  It makes literature freely accessible at a time when councils are closing down public libraries.  It's also a way for me to give back, because I've had such a great experience of working in publishing for so many years,  and if finding a free book on writing makes someone want to pick up a pen and write a book of their own, then that makes me happy. 

There are hundreds of Book Fairies out there, all dropping books in hidden nooks and crannies, so next time you are out and about, keep your eyes peeled for the green Book Fairy sticker - you never know when or where a literary gem is just waiting to be discovered.  So I'll be out in the next few weeks with my green Book Fairy bag dropping books off, right and left.

Happy book hunting! 

SCREEN SIREN; Long May She Reign

After a long day's writing there is nothing better than a box set marathon.  I've been held to ransom by Reign, which is loosely based on the early life of Mary Queen of Scots and her time in France.

I say loosely because it is so historically inaccurate as to be laughable. The story lines are far fetched; the costumes are gorgeous but they are modern interpretations rather than being authentic to the time period; paganism is inaccurately sensationalized as a blood cult...there's so much artistic licence it really has nothing to do with history at all!  But I love it.

The sets are sumptuous, the magical undertones are intriguing,  the modern music just seems to fit and the crazy story arc is vastly entertaining.  The four seasons of Reign are my latest guilty pleasure. Long may she reign? Or off with her head? Who knows?With this show, it really could go either way!  Time for another episode then...

MUSICAL DOLL; Power Trip

Five months...

Hold up, no you didn't bow; Bow!

I ain't the chick to walk behind you round town

Just 'cause you're packing, packing woop down south

That don't mean I'm ever gonna take it lying down!

...You're the man, but I got the power...

Do you think about us?

Once upon a time...

Won't be long now.

MUSICAL DOLL; ME!

"I know that I went psycho on the phone..."

Only Taylor Swift could write a lyric like that!

Can't wait for her new album...

 xxx