16 Where are you planning to go today, with your new found freedom to travel – or are you already half-way to Inverness, Aberdeen or Stranraer? Maybe you don’t have any plans to travel. One of the things about ‘freedom’ is that you don’t ‘have’ to use it all the time, but can choose when […]

15 The sun is shining, and the temperature is forecast to be higher than parts of South East England today (though maybe not at sun-bathing levels!) Good weather raises our mood, while cold and dampness tends to pull us down. There’s probably a good medical explanation (chemical or psychological), but why do we let the

14 It was a very pleasant surprise yesterday to hear that travel restrictions in Scotland will be lifted on Friday. For some people it means being able to see family and friends that they haven’t seen for months; for others, who feel a sense of claustrophobia from ‘living local’, it means being able to go

13 Parkinson’s Awareness Week (11-17) Parkinson’s Disease is reckoned to affect about 145,000 people in Britain. It is a neurological condition: as it develops, cells in the brain stop working properly and are lost over time. Symptoms start to appear when the brain cannot produce enough of a chemical called dopamine to control movement properly.

12 The Parliaments and Assemblies of the UK have been recalled today for members to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, who died on Friday. Although his lifestyle was very different from that of most people, there were many areas in which his life experience, and opinion, was not so different. His childhood was

How are you coping with the slightly eased restrictions? Feeling relieved that you can do a bit more, or frustrated about the things you still can’t do? Hard as it is having to wait, there’s no benefit in wishing away the next 3 weeks (or longer, depending on what you want to do). Maybe try

How many of us have managed to book an appointment to have our hair cut, or maybe even have had it cut? 18 months ago, who would have imagined that getting one’s hair cut could be such a big thing in our lives? It is partly that many of us don’t have much else to

8 Stress awareness month Stress is a natural part of life, and within limits we need it to achieve our potential, and to save us getting bored. But it can easily get out of hand. The mental health foundation found that 74% of UK adults felt so stressed at some point over the last year

7 World Health Day This is a UN agreed day inspired by the World Health Organisation. This year it is pointing to the different impacts of Covid-19 around the world, and the way in which it has highlighted differences in health and access to health services. In many cases the differences reflect where people are