Fairy Hanny

Catching up

I haven’t posted for a while. I kept my focus on completing another task.

When I have an idea for a book I sit with an old fashioned writing pad and a fountain pen, and I let the ideas flow. Sometimes when I look back I can’t read my notes as I was writing so fast at the time! Then I leave it until I am ready to start typing it up.

In the summer of 2015 I was visiting some friends in Istanbul. With a long flight each way I have to take something to read. I had downloaded a book about the History and Mythology of the Celtic peoples, onto my Kindle. I no longer have that kindle so I can’t give an actual reference to the book I was a reading.

Anyway, I read the story of the Sons of Turenn and the slaying of Kian, and the ensuing Magic tasks set by Lugh to settle the blood feud. Then I imagined my heroine, Fairy Hanny, being dropped in to help the Sons of Turenn to solve the riddles and complete the tasks.

Thus began ‘Fairy Hanny and the Sons of Turenn: The third in the tales of Fairy Hanny.’

I carried on writing as I returned to my job in Kazakhstan, filling in bits and pieces when time allowed – the school I worked at was very busy, I had a fantastic social life (which will be the subject of a travelogue soon) and my mother became ill and died. However I managed to finish the draft by the end of June 2016, and put it to one side while I though about it.

I spent most of July 2016 in Peniscola, Spain, then in September I moved to a new job in Gran Canaria. The book sat on one side while I worked on other ideas. September 2018 I moved to Casablanca and left my draft in storage in the UK.

Suddenly it is October 2021, and I am back in the UK. Out came the draft and out came the wordprocessor. Yesterday I finally finished typing up the second draft. Now it will sit while I print it out and edit – I find it difficult to edit onscreen, as it is too difficult to flip between pages to check for continuity errors.

My plan is to get the final version on to Amazon before the end of August. If anyone would like to push me on that please feel free to email ppswifty@gmail.com

Research!!

Continuing with my writing of the latest book – Fairy Hanny and the Sons of Turenn.

Looking back at the things I referred to yesterday as I worked on the latest chapter…

Other words for Turd…

Lyrics to Nature Boy…

Spelling of Diarrhoea… Lots of possible variations!

Google translate…

Shades of Red…

Varieties of Persian Carpets… Different cities have their own patterns.

Buy the Books!

Hannys first tale

Hannys second tale

Latest!

I am working on my third story featuring the beautiful Fairy Hanny. As I worked through the latest chapter I found I was researching a lot of things, including @The Whore of Babylon’ and a ‘Lakeland Rill’.

I also had to check my spelling a lot as my mind moves a lot faster than my fingers.

And I came across a delightful riddle that I can use in my Physics classes…

“What moves faster hot or cold?”

Staying relaxed

Looking for the good in all aspects of life.

I have spent a lot of time over the last year destressing. I had a bad case of Covid-19 just over a year ago. There is a week of my life for which I have very little memory. My temperature was spiking at 41C (about 106 F) and I was hallucinating and being a horrible patient. Since then I quit my teaching job in Azerbaijan and came back home to Merseyside, to be with friends and family.

I keep finding great quotes to help put life into perspective, and I enjoy sharing them here. If any of you keep a blog and you’re looking for some articles to use check out this link.

Enjoy this quote.

Breathe, stay calm and avoid unnecessary drama. We cannot control other people.

But we can set healthy boundaries to focus on our own needs and protect our peace. It’s up to you to decide how much you’re going to let other people’s behaviour affect you.

Worrying about other people’s behaviours only steals your joy. Direct your energy towards developing your emotional intelligence and living a happier life.

Whenever you find yourself getting frustrated over little things, practice taking a pause to shift your perspective and avoid making the issue bigger than it needs to be.

Write down your thoughts to objectively reflect on the annoyances you face in your everyday life.

Guilt

We have had a few public holidays here in UK. I celebrated by drinking lots of wine. And I feel guilty. I suppose I have little choice as I was brought up Catholic. By the time I was seven years old I had been convinced that it was my fault that Jesus had been nailed to the cross. That’s the kind of indoctrination Nuns and Priests can instil.

I broke the indoctrination and I still have the guilt. So I was delighted to find this quote on Daily Motivation.

“Many of us struggle to overcome the feelings of guilt for past mistakes.

We tend to assume that if we let go of these feelings of guilt and shame, we will end up making the same mistakes again and revert to our old selves.

That’s not true. Our daily habits make us who we are.

If you appreciate yourself for recognizing where you mess up and put in the effort to reinforce a helpful belief, you will strengthen your ability to overcome guilt.

You now have the chance to do the right thing. Acknowledging your feeling and focusing on growth can help you move on.

Be kind to yourself. The emotional pain of the past will ease with time. “

Writing and thinking

I love writing!

I am working on the third Fairy Hanny story and my first detective novel featuring Inspector Flaange. I also have some Maths and English books that I am editing, and an outline of a book on Motivation.

I get an email every day with a Daily Motivation. So I will share this one;

You are blessed in so many ways. Live your life with gratitude. Notice the little wins every day. There are so many good things you have already received.

So many things go right in a day.

Savour the good.

Don’t let the good moments pass without celebration.

Spend some time cherishing them and hold on to positive emotions a little longer. Appreciate the hard work you have put into the things you have achieved until now.

Savour the sensation of being grateful. Learning to notice and enjoy what’s around you makes it easier to snap yourself out of negative thoughts.

Be strong!

Whenever the fear of uncertainty creeps in, take a few deep breaths and remind yourself that the future is not yet real.

By staying focused on worst-case scenarios, you fail to keep an open mind about the situation at hand. We can only control ourselves in the present moment.

Think of your past experiences. Life has always been full of uncertainty. And you were always able to cope.

You’re now wiser and have more insights on how to deal with things. You are perfectly capable of handling uncertainty.

Do you need to make some changes in your life?

Signs to look for…

You feel lost or stuck in life

Do you feel like you are stuck in a rut, and you have lost your purpose? This is a sure sign that a change is needed. Everyone has a purpose, but it is not always easy to identify it. Also, your purpose can change as you get older and go through life’s experiences. So, if you feel like your life is not your own anymore, it is time to make a change.

Your mood is consistently flat

Another sign change is needed is if you find your mood is constantly flat. That is, you do not really enjoy anything anymore. You do not have to feel depressed to make a change, simply feeling constantly flat is another indicator your life is not satisfying.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Think about the things that used to make you feel good. It could be that you once enjoyed your career. If you now do not like your job, it is a sign you need to make a change to get back to feeling that initial excitement.

You suffer with poor self esteem

Low self-esteem can develop for a lot of distinct reasons. However, it tends to be more prevalent in those who do not take care of themselves. If you lack self-care, you may criticize yourself more or feel like you are not worth much.

Over time, poor self-esteem can lead you to feel like you do not deserve good things in life. This in turn can cause you to give up trying to be happy. If you suffer with poor self-esteem, it is a good sign you need a change.

You have very little energy

Having little energy throughout the day could be a sign of poor sleep. However, it can also relate to a deeper issue if you are constantly tired. It may mean that you have lost your passion and interest in life. When you spend a lot of time doing things that do not inspire you, it can zap your energy quickly.

So, if you wake up feeling tired and drained consistently, take it as a sign you need more self-care in your life. When you are taking care of yourself, you will feel energized and ready to take on anything.

As you can see, there are a lot of signs that could point to the fact you need a change.

Self-care can really help to improve self-esteem, give you a sense of purpose and help to make you feel happier and more energized. So, if you want to make a change, recognize where your current issues lie and use self-care to eliminate them.

The First Step to Change is to Recognize it is Needed

I recently went out for the evening in Liverpool, to celebrate an old friends birthday. Before I left home I cooked some Chicken legs, using a homemade marinade. I put them into the oven as I rushed around, tidying my apartment and preparing for the evening. I took the chicken out of the oven and left it to cool on my hob. Then I left home and forgot about it.

I had a great afternoon and evening catching up with friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen for almost a decade. I suppose that is because I have spent most of the last 15 years travelling and teaching in countries such as China, the UAE, Kazakhstan and Spain. However, we are all still alive and it was great to catch-up. There was a black sense of humour abundantly displayed that evening, with several people commenting that maybe our next gathering will be at someone’s wake..

When I got home I decided to eat a couple of the chicken legs. I could tell there was something not quite right about the two I ate. However, an evening of drinking beer does tend to cloud judgement…

The first kick back came at 5 am. I woke very early, feeling nauseous. I just about managed to reach the bathroom before being violently ill! I can’t remember the last time I vomited, though I think it was at least 30 years ago. I went back to bed after brushing my teeth and drinking a pint of water.

The joy was repeated at 6 am. This time the retching was also very painful. More toothpaste and more water and back to bed.

At 7.30 am the big one came! I didn’t quite make it into the bathroom this time. And the retching! The dizziness! The light headed feeling! It seemed to go on and on and on…

I finally got out of bed at 11 am. I spent the day drinking water and watching terrible movies on Netflix. I reflected a lot on the sickness that day and over the following week.

I decided I needed to change a few things.

The First Step to Change is to Recognize it is Needed

If you are struggling to make healthier changes in your life, it could be that you are not convinced a change is needed. Many of us are also great at avoiding change. It tends to be something we dread, rather than look forward to. However, if you want to live your best life, it is imperative you recognize when a change is needed. So, how exactly can you recognize that change is needed in your life?

In my next post I will suggest some of the signs to look for when you need to change.

Look at this!!!

Look at the fun you can have when you mess around on Canva!!

Fairy Hanny does it again!!!