Melanie Bambridge Counselling

14/01/2026

From Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life 🙏

14/01/2026

I had Kathy Burke's memoir A Mind of my Own on reserve at the library, forgot about it and so was delighted when it became available!

I haven't been able to put it down, at every opportunity I've had to read it.

Such a humble, highly intelligent human being.

I've loved every minute of it and wish we were friends 🧡

Highly recommend 👌

14/01/2026

😉

14/01/2026

From the great Frank Anderson, MD 🙏

14/01/2026

Yep!

Becoming the person you’re meant to be isn’t about waiting until you feel ready.

It means doing things you don’t feel like doing.

Having the uncomfortable conversation.
Setting the boundary you’ve been avoiding.
Speaking up instead of staying quiet.

Discomfort isn’t a sign you’re doing it wrong… It’s a sign you’re growing.

What’s one thing you know you need to do today, even though you don’t feel like it? 👇

14/01/2026

It was my birthday a week ago today.

I don't think "Oh no, another year older" anymore. I think how lucky I am to have reached another birthday when so many friends and family members have died before becoming elderly.

I was actually called "young" when I was having some health tests before Christmas which made me feel good 🙃

I got some lovely presents for my birthday including some really cool colouring pens and book.

I haven't done any colouring in as an adult, only when I'm sat doing it with my Grandson.

Both of my daughters have and one gave me some of her books that she wasn't going to use.

My husband went out with a friend the other night and I thought I'd sit and colour. No TV or radio, just quiet, mindful colouring.

I get twitchy after an hour of focusing on anything. It definitely quietened my mind and I wanted to bite my fingers towards the end but I had to finish it 🤪

It's something new for me and I liked it, even though it challenged me. I'm not a neat edges type of girl.

I also got a fabulous drum which I LOVE!

I have never drummed before and the video is of me, in my dressing gown, no makeup straight after ripping open the present.

It woke my daughter up but she just rolled her eyes as she knew I was getting it and it would be played with immediately.

THIS IS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT PLAYING SO PLEASE EXCUSE ME, SEASONED DRUMMERS 🙏

My husband said I'm like a child who has to play with everything as soon as it's opened 😁

I've posted some of my cards to show how well my friend's and family know me. A mix of funny and earthy.

I take my cards down after a week but I feel like I want to look at them a little while longer.

My birthday week was really lovely and a belated treat this weekend will be tubing at Norwich's artificial ski slope.

Watch this space 😁

I endeavour to explore new things, within my mental, emotional and physical capacity this year and every year.

How about you? Are you trying anything new? Or thinking of it?

(The other photos are in the comments)

13/01/2026

Oldy but goody

13/01/2026

I was saying to a friend the other day that I listen to less music since putting the stereo into the loft.

I used to flick through CD's to prompt, put 5 in the machine and let them play.

I forget who I like because I don't have a visual representation.

It was the same with vinyl, flicking through, choosing and carefully placing the record on the turntable.

My friend made the suggestion to go through the CD's and add the albums to my Spotify. A great idea and I will but also kind of want the stereo back.

Another thing I love to do is flick through photo albums.

Going through the camera roll on my phone just doesn't do the same thing.

I've just spent £7.50 getting photos printed online AND buying a little album from Ebay.

I absolutely love it and loved the act of putting the photos into the album.

I've deleted them from my camera.

It feels so good flicking through, actually touching and seeing photos in physical form.

It's going to be a thing now.

The stereo may have to come back down too.

13/01/2026

Up, down, up, down, up, down........am I done? Oh I just need to.......am I done?
Aaaaaaaand rest. 🤪

13/01/2026

From Cultivate Kindness on Substack 🙏

13/01/2026

From Quiet Wisdom on Substack 🙏

13/01/2026

Please join your local library.
Libraries offer so much more than books.
They are safe spaces to visit when you just need to get out for a while but don't want to spend money.
They have Libby or Overdrive for online users.
They have bounce and rhyme groups, baby weighing scales and groups for many other interests.
It'd be great to see more people joining and using these fabulous places.

We're celebrating the National Year of Reading with 'Join Up January'! Over the whole month we're telling you all about the amazing things Norfolk Libraries do (in a blatant effort to get those of you without library cards into our libraries).

Today we're telling you about...podcasts! Specifically OUR podcast!

In late 2024 two of our amazing apprentices, Rosie and Amy, recorded 5 episodes where they discussed their love of books, and chatted all things libraries with guest staff members. It was all very wholesome. Maybe we should bring it back for 2026...

Find the pod on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and Spotify - all links here: https://linktr.ee/NorfolkLibrariesUK

If you're a resident of Norfolk, and you've not joined your local library for free (or haven't been for a couple of years), why not give us a try. You can sign up in your local library, or online right now, here: https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/article/40091/Join-the-library and we'll send a card out to you.

Please feel free to share this post with your nearest and dearest (and get them to join their local library, wherever it is in the world!)

ID: a graphic with an image of two staff members holding up books, with the text Podcasts and Join Up January alongside the Go All In logo.