• My favourite longreads (for your weekend-reading pleasure) Earlier in the week I shared how I longread. I flagged why it is such an important practice for our frazzled brains. Today, I give you my list of favourite sources for finding long things to read that enrich my mind, make my heart soar, enhance my understanding of the world, while also drawing me more
• I’ve been a nomad for six years. This is what it’s done to me. I’ve not lived in my own place, with furniture and belongings around me, for a good chunk of my life. I’ve never owned a fridge. Nor a washing machine. Nor an iron. Six years ago I gave everything away, reducing my belongings to two suitcases, and decamped to a (frugally furnished) army shed in the more
• Trust your contradictions I’m on a roll with this theme: exploring beautiful ways to find challenges entirely rewarding. (Small admission: it’s sort of the theme of my latest book project). I covered the value of loneliness last week and hunting down difficulty to have a good life the week before. Now contradiction.  Again, Maria Popova at BrainPickings alerted me to a read more
• our brains love being grateful A quick thought, prompted by something interesting I read during the week…It’s about gratitude. I often wonder why I should be grateful. I mean, apart from the virtuous and religious premises. But, the visceral goodness of it all??? What’s that meant to be about? Is there an inherently worthwhile point to striving for gratitude, one more
• how are we all so brave? I came across this image by Manhattan-based writer and illustrator Maira Kalman via Maria Popova, one of my favourite bloggers. I, too, ask myself this, with tears in my eyes: how are we all so brave? Because, God, we trip. The whole of humanity is constantly tripping and hurting and failing and trying to make things better. more
• some fun bike porn It’s been a while since I’ve done a gratuitously evocative bike post. It’s time… Famous people on bikes Some hot looks courtesy of  Fashionising, and Cyclelicious. Starting with Olivia… Just some pretty looks