My new book – publication date!

Publication date for ‘Surviving Family Care Giving’   Over recent months (well over a year!!), I have really enjoyed all the reading and research and, most of all, the many interviews which have gone into work on my new book, now named Surviving Family Care Giving:  Coordinating Effective Care through Collaborative Communication. As the book is about communication – and how to build good all-round…

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Open University conference presentation

At the recent inter-university conference ‘Real Lives; Real Difference’ in Stirling, I was part of our OU Service Users and Carers Development Group presentation on the work of the group over the years since the group started. My part in the presentation was to outline some of the projects I have taken part in – including helping write ‘Telling Our Story’, an outline of that…

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Choices, choices…

Life is full of endless choices…main work at the moment is revising and editing my book, going through each chapter and page to pick up typos, possibility of better phrasing etc, always seems to take much longer than I initially think it will! Plus I’m reluctant to abandon all the other interesting and fun activities I really like doing – for instance, going to a…

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Presenting workshop – Scots verse

TMSA – Traditional Music and Song Association – have asked me to present a workshop about Scots verse (favourite poems and how best to present them) at 10.30 am on Saturday May 4th, at the MacRobert Building, Room 55, Aberdeen University.  I’m looking forward to meeting everyone who comes along and to hearing their chosen favourites… My own favourite is ‘The puddock sat by the…

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Final stages of my new book…

Life has been incredibly busy over the last months as I’ve worked on the last revisions and editing of my new book for family and other informal carers before I send it off to the publisher…while trying to fit in all the other activities I really don’t want to fade (music and singing being the main ones, keeping up with friends) …plus much frustration trying…

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Enjoying the lull…

Made it with the deadline with Routledge and sent off my manuscript, despite all the frustrations with new computer system etc.  Now really enjoying a wee bit of a lull while the copy editor reads over all my 10 chapters, thousands of words, before the next stage of work starts on turning them into a real book on the shelves– a lull in which I’m…

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Winter Sunset

Earth held its breath, Watching the black filigree fingers reach to touch The red, orange, yellow silk spread; lifting to catch Pale blue ribbons drifting in the still clear air. Silent, the hills lay back against the glowing cushions, Breathing in the respite from winter death, Stretched in dark protection round a silvered pool Frozen in orange reflection. A blackened shell of shelter, The old…

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