The CP Diary

Something inspirational:

Do you remember how you responded when you were asked the question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”

If you remember the answer you gave, how does that compare with what you do now?

I have always tried to remain upbeat no matter what I deal with.

Given the fact that stress plays a part in how we feel about what we usually have to deal with and what we continue to have to deal with, being upbeat sometimes becomes a little more difficult. We start out with good intentions of trying to remain upbeat, but invariably something of what we deal with usually gets in the way.

I believe though that we can learn to change the way we perceive our lives so that we have the opportunity to remain upbeat about what we deal with …

How well do you think you know someone? It could be a friend, work colleague or even a spouse.

It’s easy to feel that we know someone well, but the little bit we know, such as their birth date isn’t the same as knowing about what they like or dislike; what makes them upset; what makes them happy or what makes them sad.

When we experience a connection with someone, we should know everything there is to know.We can know someone for twenty years and still not know anything about that person; or we can know someone for a year and know that person well …

Something inspirational:

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”

MARY ANN RADMACHER

How many of us know someone who no matter what we say, they always have to have the last word?

It doesn’t matter what they talk about, what the subject is; they always feel the need to say one more thing, regardless of what we say. Children tend to want to have the last word; but there are many adults who tend to do the same thing. For some people it’s almost something others expect them to do …

Pasta and Spinach Pine Nut Ricotta Lasagne

We’ve tried this recipe and I wanted to share it with you. It’s taken from ‘Delia on line’.  I am sure you could replace the Spinach and pine nuts Ricotta with other toppings of your choice. Low fat ingredients could be used as an alternative to full fat.

Sauce:

1½ pints (850ml) milk

2 oz (50g) plain flour

2 oz (50g) butter

1 bay leaf

Read on »

Something inspirational:

“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

MARCEL PROUST, NOVELIST

Having watched a neighbour’s family prepare for a new life in Canada and watching the TV documentary ‘Stephen Fry in America’ brought about memories of my near move to the States.

From what I recall from the documentary Stephen Fry’s father turned down a job at Princeton University; in favor of Hampstead in England and although Stephen Fry has no connections in America, from what he said a part of him feels as though he belongs there. It’s weird but I feel exactly the same.

When I was a little girl, my father’s plan was for my …

It is true to say that we all have or inherited character traits from our parents, from our environment and/or our peers, but what if the character traits we have are there because of a condition we deal with?

I was always considered by my family to be lazy; at home and in school. It didn’t matter what I did, or how hard I tried, I always failed to turn my life around as far as achievement was concerned. My parents never talked about it with me, noticed my failings; but assumed I would catch up with my work and that things would be okay. My …

A passing thought:

Conversations will be more meaningful and less tense if we ‘talk the same language.’

That sounds so obvious and easy to do, but how many of us actually do it? It’s tempting when we’re keen to get our point across, to charge ahead; then get annoyed with the other person when we’ve misunderstood the conversation, or we think we’ve understood the conversation and the other person thinks we haven’t …