Secret Chill, Therapeutic Yoga Retreat, Lanzarote

11/12/2025

11/12/2025

The holidays shine brightly, but some parts of our hearts still ache for the people who once made this season truly magical. Their absence sits quietly beside us, even in the glow of the lights.

Missing them is the price of having loved them so deeply… and Christmas always brings those memories back.

11/12/2025

Daddy at his 70th birthday … a beautiful man who adored me, died of alcoholism 2 years later. He was estranged from my mother for 5 years before he died. I kept this meeting secret in case of upsetting her.

15/11/2025

She ran beside him through desert dust. Then he ran halfway around the world to bring her home.

In 2016, ultramarathoner Dion Leonard began the brutal Gobi March — six days, 155 miles across the Chinese desert.
On day two, a tiny stray dog appeared from the dunes.
She matched his pace.
Mile after mile, through blistering heat and endless sand, she refused to leave his side.

By the finish line, she’d run 77 miles beside him.
He named her Gobi.

When the race ended, Dion couldn’t forget her.
He launched a campaign to bring her home to Edinburgh, Scotland — but before the journey could begin, tragedy struck.
Gobi went missing from quarantine.

For two long weeks, Dion searched the city of Ürümqi — posters, volunteers, social media pleas — until he finally found her: injured, limping, but alive.

Today, Gobi lives with Dion in Scotland.
Not as a trophy from a race — but as family.

Their story became more than man and dog.
It became a quiet testament to loyalty, endurance, and the kind of love that doesn’t speak — it follows.

Sometimes love doesn’t wait at home.
It runs beside you in the dust,
until you realize it’s been yours all along.

15/11/2025

I do this most mornings and the difference in my energy is phenomenal although I do have to admit I am not always brave enough!

The colder the water, the clearer the mind.

Step into icy water and your body begins a remarkable chemical storm. Within seconds, dopamine — the brain’s drive and reward signal — can climb by as much as 250 percent. Researchers say the effect is stronger and longer lasting than that produced by many addictive substances.

Unlike the fleeting rush of co***ne or sugar, this rise unfolds slowly and stays elevated for hours. The result is calm alertness, not chaos. You feel focused, awake, and quietly alive.

Scientists describe it as the body’s ancient survival reflex. Cold exposure activates the sympathetic nervous system, flooding you with noradrenaline and dopamine that sharpen thinking and elevate mood. It is discomfort turned into resilience.

Studies also link brief cold immersion to stronger immune defence, improved metabolism, and lower stress. What begins as a shock becomes training for both body and mind.

Each plunge is a conversation between biology and willpower, a reminder that clarity often waits on the other side of discomfort.



Source: Huberman Lab, PubMed, Verywell Health

11/10/2025

15/09/2025

I loved this nan …. What a loss he was to the world

15/09/2025

16/04/2025

Delighted to announce the arrival of a very special friend and guest whom I met in HAWAII 25 years ago. A superb yoga teacher and writer who has been an amazing support to me when writing my book. I am so looking forward to welcoming you here in a months time, William M Donnelly 🥰❤️

26/03/2025

15/03/2025

My thoughts for the day in preparation for new beginnings this weekend ….

Don’t look back, I’m not going that way. I am stronger than I think and it’s OK not to have it all figured out. I believe every “setback” is a “step up” for a “comeback” You only fail when you stop trying so take the risk or lose the chance. Success is a series of small wins. The best time for new beginnings is right now everything I need is already inside me. Don’t wait for opportunities. Create them if you want change, I alone, have to make it happen. The only competition is the person I was yesterday.