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This is a painting of, erm, the cancerous tumour that I found in my breast in 2021. It's gone now. I felt much better after the painting was completed, sort of serene. Despite the brutal treatment that is chemotherapy, I have depicted the cancer as drifting away, parts of you do drift away while going through treatment, and some parts return while others do not. That's how I feel anyway. I moved house last year. My rented house was too big with just me in it. It was fine when occupied with my daughters, a grand-daughter, a grand-daughter's dad and my lovely dog, but people grow and need to move on. My dog reached the end of his road. The day I lost him was the saddest day of my life. I know I probably shouldn't say that but he was deep in my heart and I loved him unconditionally. I won't ever get another dog, that 'going to sleep' business is a train wreck, one that you are watching and also feel responsible for, even though you are not. I am now living with

Well, here it is! It's MY STUDIO. It is where I can paint, write, renovate, think, dance, study, work, talk, counsel, and tarot. It has taken a long time to refurbish a grotty double garage into this space, but it's been worth it. I have finally moved out of my old, cold, crumbling rented house and moved in with my old dad, something I never ever thought would happen, but stranger things have happened in my lifetime so I'm not going to dwell. The worst part of the cancer treatment is over, my hair is growing back albeit in a crazy curly wurley frizz ball, but goodness, it's here on my head and it is mine. Onwards and upwards.  

                                  'Life Scripts' are stories that we tell ourselves as we try to understand what is going on in our lives. They are like a narration to self and are the way we tell stories about our own lives, in our own minds. These could be stories from the past, the present and/or the future. These stories or life scripts, help us feel safer in life because they make our lives seem predictable and constant with a set of fixed rules- 'things always go this way.' However, these 'life scripts' can sometimes be very damaging to our sense of self, to our relationships and to our ability to reach a sense of purpose and meaning in our lives. To prevent further damage, a therapist will work with their client to examine the life script the client relies on to understand their life. And then to create new scripts that help them move forward, positively to the future  A few examples of 'Life Scripts' could include: "None of my partners have

Do you find it a bit annoying when people ask, "What do you do?" as if what you do to earn a living defines the whole of YOU? I do. Your authentic self is not a train driver, a solicitor, or a builder. Do you also find it a bit irritating when other people ask where you live, as if a house on a street or a flat in a complex somehow defines who you are? Is a flat in a complex less worthy than a house on a street? How about when someone asks who your partner is, or your mum, dad, brother, sister? Do your relationships define you? Has anybody summed you up purely on your possessions. "Ooh, she has a Chanel handbag, and it's a REAL one!" Your authentic self is who you are at your deepest level, your core. Being authentic means being true to yourself. You do this by being true to your thoughts, words, and actions, and having these three match each other. When we aren't in touch with our authentic self, it is extremely easy to go into 'people pleasing' mod

   Saturday 26th April 1996- Maine Road, Manchester. I still have my crumpled ticket, not that I need a reminder of the most brilliant night ever. The Manic Street Preachers warmed up the crowd, the rain was drizzling but the atmosphere was electric. Noel and Liam came on stage singing 'Round are our way the birds are singing' (sic) The crowd surged toward the stage and the best gig ever got underway. The lyrics didn't really matter that much- it was the tunes and the music that got under the skin, made you dance, made you sing, made you feel so good to be alive. The adrenaline flowed, everyone loved each other, the crowd was a huge buzzing bee. The playlist: The Swamp Song. Acquiesce. Supersonic. Hello. Some Might Say. Roll With It. Morning Glory. Cigarettes & Alcohol. Champagne Supernova. Whatever. Cast No Shadow. Wonderwall. The Masterplan. Don't Look Back in Anger. Live Forever. I Am the Walrus. and then the encore. Cum On Feel the Noize (Slade) Now, that's

                                                This is a self-portrait that I painted while feeling sorry for myself, I  had had the first four sessions of Chemotherapy (out of sixteen) and I was exhausted and fed-up. I had just come out of hospital where I had spent a week in isolation after picking up a bug. Not a fun time. Anyway, I tried to pick myself up and get on with it as really that's all I could do. I have finished chemotherapy now and radiotherapy. I had surgery last year so apart from having to go back on the endocrine treatment, I'm done. (Well, I hope I am) So, that's the brief history of my cancer story. Everyone who is going through, has gone through or who has a loved one going through a similar experience has my sympathy, I feel for you all. Before this all started, I found the lump in September 2021, I had been studying and writing posts for Modern Hippie Therapy. Although it's not what I intended, I had intended to help other people through Modern

                                                      I've been off the blogging scene for a while as I've been having chemotherapy but that's finished now, thank goodness.    I did not retreat from The Times, Below the Line however, in fact that has been prolific, there seem to be so many things to get annoyed about, I'm talking politics of course and mainly Bloody Brexit.           I have republished some older posts from artycelia.com but left in place all the Brexit (Brexiety) posts. We are nearing the 25th anniversary of The Good Friday Agreement, and I think it's important that we remember our (not mine obviously!) decision to leave the European Union and the precarious position it has left us in. Despite politicians telling us that they 'got Brexit done,' they obviously did not. It seems to me that the politicians, especially Boris Johnson, had no clue what Brexit meant. We find ourselves in an uncomfortable place here in Blighty. We have a severe cos