The clothes swap is coming up and on a recent weekend trip to my in-laws, we visited grandma as we always do. Nothing is wasted there. She made these lovely little bags from old neck-ties. Probably Grandad's old neck ties. Or Uncle's. Living on a farm and being about 90, the idea of recycling or sustainability is inherent in daily life. You need an onion, pop into the garden. Make things from other things. The compost heap is not a plastic container on the balcony, it's outside. She has a … [Read more...]
Spinning Out, Turning Your Back on Responsibilities and Well Basically Overwhelm
"Spin" he said as classic Madonna played in the background. He knew only 'Vogue' could get an amateur like me anywhere near a decent pose. Although it was 'Papa Don't Preach' that really got me serving the looks. Kinda. He's a Tokyo videographer and is currently honing his photography smarts so I get to spin and play with him in his studio while he moves around shiny stuff and gets me to move around too. But this photo is genius - a happy accident so please enjoy. And forgive the cheesy … [Read more...]
The Feminine is the Keeper of the Rituals: Women’s Day
The Christmas cards The 'thank-you' cards The Birthday cards The gifts The lists The weddings The births The menus The decorations The dinners The coffee mornings the support systems The festivals The parties The religious occasions The anniversaries The funerals The holidays The brunches The lunches The Facebook Groups The invitations The school performances The Sabbath observances The photos in frames The soccer … [Read more...]
Priorities: Devoted to Dates with Daddy
What are priorities and how do we work them into our own lives? You know, today I had one of those WAKE UP BARBARA moments. I’d given my parents STRICT INSTRUCTION. This is a working trip. So when my Dad came in and said “I know you’re busy, but do you want to come and see The Post with me this afternoon?” No, I said I have work to do. Then in an instant I thought WHAT THE HECK you’re going to prioritize a proposal over a date with your Dad? So I prioritized - spent 2 hours reviewing a … [Read more...]
Five Years in Business; My Escapiversary
As I write this it is 5 years to the day since I left my last full time job, hopped on a plane to following day and went to Marie Forleo's flagship event Rich Happy and Hot Live - a three-day extravaganza with 500 mainly female attendees and some of the self development and entrepreneurial industry's finest leaders. It was a brilliant way to enter my entrepreneurial life and my words for that year had been 'elegant change' and 'valuable stories'. 'Elegant change' because I wanted to exit a job I … [Read more...]