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Category: AtoZ 2023 – The AtoZ of me

R is for Run girl Run #recovery #MondayBlogs

Kind of a crosspost day today. A couple of days ago, I talked about Psychosis. I’ve also talked about LudoSport and the impact it’s made on my mental health. This time last year, I was approached by a publisher to write a book about my mental health recovery. We’d talked about doing it before the pandemic, because I’d started learning to walk, then run again after a neck injury, that was to me, life altering. And I say ‘to me’ because I only needed a zimmer for a bit, and by our trip a month later to London, I only…

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Q is for quiet

This entry is part 22 of 22 in the series AtoZ 2023 - The AtoZ of Me

I’ve been working more lately with either really low ‘focus’ music on in the background (right now, for example I’ve got Endel running in the background. The different modes of music, based on what I’m doing are really nice) or with a true crime show or podcast in the background. It’s been really good to start finding my flow and workspace during the day – what I want to do, what I don’t.I’m shifting into a more creative phase now, so coding isn’t as interesting to me, which means in about three weeks, I’ll be reading and taking lots of…

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P is for Petrichor

This entry is part 21 of 22 in the series AtoZ 2023 - The AtoZ of Me

Again, because of the post I was struggling with, this is a late post today. Apologies. So, I’ve talked a little bit about LudoSport, and, when I get the chance, I’ll get a few photos of myself competing or training, but I wanted to tell you guys a little bit about my blade, Petrichor. In LudoSport, you get a hilt, and a carbon fiber blade, which lights up (hence lightsaber) to fight with. The carbon fiber blade itself is pretty sturdy, but does break (my Form 1 instructor and dear friend is our blade breaker in the Academy), but isn’t…

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N is for Nature

This entry is part 18 of 22 in the series AtoZ 2023 - The AtoZ of Me

I guess, as I’ve spent the last month planning everything, that I didn’t realise how serendipitous this week would actually work out. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to spend a few hours just…soaking in the natural beauty in an arboretum called Batsford.Batsford Arboretum is one of those places that I’ve been, again and again, to relax. When I lived in Edinburgh, I wasn’t far from trees, water, nature (Colinton Dell), so when we moved, it was kinda hard for me, because though we still lived on the outskirts of towns, it wasn’t as easy to get to places as it…

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M is for music

This entry is part 17 of 22 in the series AtoZ 2023 - The AtoZ of Me

Today, I’m setting up my office (it’s our walk in wardrobe with the cutest Edwardian (style?) writing desk, covered in plants, pens and books, having managed to luck into a free day of writing. Normally, we’d be at another friend’s, playing Gloomhaven, but plans fell through, and my partner and I decided to use that time to do other stuff. He’s off having coffee with another dear friend, and, as I have a horrible ear infection, I was going to stay in bed and generally feel sorry for myself. And then I thought I could just get the room sorted…

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L is for LudoSport #MondayBlogs #OneNameOneSky

This entry is part 16 of 22 in the series AtoZ 2023 - The AtoZ of Me

Just under a year and a half ago, I took part in a discovery class which changed my life. And I don’t mean that with any hyperbole. I mean it literally. I have, as i’ve mentioned, CPTSD, anxiety and I’ll talk a little about psychosis later in the month. It’s also something I talk about in ‘Run Girl, Run’, which will be on my other blog later in the month. How I joined… (I’ve talked about LudoSport before a few times on my blog, so you may already know some of this) Lockdown was, I guess, sort of the normal…

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J is for Joy

This entry is part 14 of 22 in the series AtoZ 2023 - The AtoZ of Me

Today, I want to talk about cultivating joy. And I’m really sorry, because I know the language that gets used around this can be a bit ‘woo woo’ or touchy feely (and believe me, I know. But it’s an important topic, and if you can get passed the…well…difficult language that can make it seem like it’s inaccessible or… indulgent is another story entirely). Firstly, cultivating joy. Building happiness. Creating an environment for self-care that works for you. ALL OF THAT IS KEY. It’s critical in fact. So. Cultivating joy is important, however you do it. Whether it’s taking time out…

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I is for ink

This entry is part 13 of 22 in the series AtoZ 2023 - The AtoZ of Me

Did you know I have a tattoo? I do. When I seperated from the father of my now adult children, my brother offered me a tattoo for my birthday/Christmas. I think he was expecting a little butterfly, or something that was on my shoulder or back, that would always be covered, but…well, my tattoo remains mostly covered, but it’s not exactly a discreet tattoo. I’ve got a biohazard tattoo on my spine. It’s got a meaning too. A lot of people joked to say that it’s a tramp stamp, but it honestly is something important to me. A biohazard symbol…

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H is for Horror

This entry is part 12 of 22 in the series AtoZ 2023 - The AtoZ of Me

One of the few things I think people are really surprised about is, even though I am quite twitchy and jumpy about other stuff, one of the few things I really love is horror.I write Horror (as Sabrann Curach, for the flat-out horror stuff at least, though a lot of my books have some sort of dystopian or otherwise ‘horror’ ish element, apparently), I read horror (favourite authors? Shaun Allan, Stephen King, Dean R Koontz, Adam Baker to name a few). One of the few things I think people are really surprised about is, even though I am quite twitchy…

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G is also for gaming

This entry is part 11 of 22 in the series AtoZ 2023 - The AtoZ of Me

I’ve spent all of my life gaming. Literally, since I was small, I’ve been obsessed with games of all kinds, from computers and consoles to boardgames. Since I was nine, I’ve been playing in RPGs, starting with Dungeons and Dragons. I’ve played everything since, from Warhammer 40k, and everything else I can get at ever since. I’m also super lucky that I’m married to a gamer. Our house is basically a geek paradise, and our date night often consists of gaming. Currently playing… So, right now, I’m currently playing GloomHaven with our friends – I’m also playing that on Steam.…

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G is for Gods and mythology

This entry is part 10 of 22 in the series AtoZ 2023 - The AtoZ of Me

I think Neil Gaiman said it best in American Gods introduction when he said, “It goes without saying that all of the people, living, dead, and otherwise, in this story are fictional or used in a fictional context. Only the gods are real.” Neil Gaiman – American Gods When it comes to writing, I think that’s actually kinda accurate. And as a writer, our fictional characters are pretty much fictionally contextual (we make them up), but the gods of our stories are real.But, for me, mythology and gods are a little bit ‘real’ too. I’m both Pagan, and adore mythology. And…

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F is for Fun…

This entry is part 9 of 22 in the series AtoZ 2023 - The AtoZ of Me

I actually do a lot for fun. From writing and blogging, to LudoSport (which I’ll be blogging about later this month), gaming (tomorrow) of all sorts, reading and gardening. I also do lots of crafty things, from using my Cricut, diamond paintings, knitting and learning now (or trying to learn) to crochet, cross-stitch, and I’ll be learning to make macrame creations. I’d love to learn to do resin artwork too, but it’s on my later list, cause there’s only so many hours in the day. Fun, or downtime While I used to struggle with this, downtime is one of those…

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