Category Archives: Health

Keeping my head above water

Posted on July 19, 2023 by lesleyjonesberry

Metaphors are ingrained in our language and we cannot communicate fully without them.  The word ‘ingrained’ is itself metaphorical.   The image is of a piece of wood, and the grain which is part of its very fabric, the comforting associations … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Moving on | Leave a comment

Life is of a mingled yarn

Posted on March 5, 2023 by lesleyjonesberry

Alls Well that Ends Well, Act IV Scene iii My best friend is working as a test knitter. This is when experienced craftspeople work through a new pattern to make sure it is accurate and comprehensible, and that the designer’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Moving on | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Work in Progress

Posted on November 27, 2022 by lesleyjonesberry

Sometimes it seems I am just beginning to learn how to live:  that, until now, I have muddled through by accident.  As a child I recall grown ups saying “if only I knew then what I know now…”, which I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Health, Moving on | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Solitude

Posted on September 11, 2022 by lesleyjonesberry

Before I start, I must distinguish between solitude and loneliness. We never choose loneliness, which is painful and – what is the word? – ‘unhealthy’, meaning health as in wholeness; ‘unnatural’ in the sense that we are inherently, innately social … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Health, Moving on | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Recovery

Posted on July 22, 2022 by lesleyjonesberry

The word that came to mind was recover.  And I hesitated, to become sure of what it means.  Recover can be read two ways:  to heal, or to replace a protective layer.  Difficult as things are, I don’t want the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Health, Moving on | Tagged , | Leave a comment

It goes without saying

Posted on April 15, 2022 by lesleyjonesberry

I often feel that I talk too much and, indeed, I often do.  Some of this is innate, I think:  I have such an urge to try to express things, I gain such relief and pleasure in my quest to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Health, Moving on, Music | Tagged | 1 Comment

Like Breathing Out and Breathing In

Posted on March 26, 2022 by lesleyjonesberry

I have been present at first breaths, and last breaths.  Only at those most intimately connected with me: my children’s births and my mother’s death. And since, in female babies, the eggs of their potential children already nestle in their … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Moving on | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Mad Woman in the Attic

Posted on January 2, 2022 by lesleyjonesberry

Sometimes I dream of being in a familiar house, opening a door and finding a forgotten room. This is a common dream theme, a recurrent trope. The discovery brings with it with a strange small mis-step lurch of emotion: how … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Education, Health, Moving on, Theatre | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

In My Mind’s Eye

Posted on January 10, 2021 by lesleyjonesberry

Another national lockdown returns me to Dickens.  I have written already about the reassurance and pleasure provided through long novels.  Good audiobook versions are my substitute for live theatre:  more than anything else, this is where I can find compensation … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Health, Moving on, Theatre | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Connexions

Posted on November 22, 2020 by lesleyjonesberry

In the midst of what, for convenience, I’ll call the ‘second lockdown’ I have rejected Zoom. My head recognises its benefits, but my heart has rebelled. 

Posted in Books, Health, Music, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment