Tuesday Haiku Once we were poets storytellers, stargazers believers in dreams

To London for 2 days @thekingsfund.bsky.social with the voluntary sector award winners. Seriously impressive leaders. Can’t wait to meet them.

Don’t wait for a better time.

Next door’s peacock is showing off again

A spring bouquet from ma belle-sœur to cheer me up. Job done.

Don’t play under the apple tree with anyone else but me..

Mood

A good drying day. I have officially turned into my nanna.

Evening in sud Touraine

Inspirational women in space

I’m convinced one of these is an April Fool. Or maybe all of them?

Happy birthday to the aged P ❤️❤️

Library books for the holidays.The top one’s mine, the Vonnegut his, the rest? Doesn’t matter. 3 each and we can swap.

To Scunthorpe & a reminder that the NHS isn’t alone in facing massive uncertainty. We need collaboration more than ever, to support each other through challenging times. There’s real energy & commitment here & passion for the place and the people. I’m looking forward to getting to know both

Cagney & Lacey: the early years. Makes me laugh anyway.

To the theatre and wondering about etiquette- does one wear the tiara or the #LFC scarf? The 2nd-best tiara I’ve decided- it’s a matinee after all.

Loving this. The Aeneid retold, beautifully.

Going to see this on Saturday liverpoolsroyalcourt.com/main_stage/r...

Yesterday was full of light & family & spring. We saw a sign in the sky, walked 7 miles, ate ice lollies…I managed to fit in 2 meetings and blood tests at RLI.

Lune walk, sundown

If you couldn’t stay in the UK - because of war, societal collapse, political fear - where would you try to get to? Why?

Mood

Spring on the Lancaster canal

Eid Mubarak

50th Mothers Day without a mother. School used to be tough - these days I remember her on walks in the high hills which she loved. Love to all who find today difficult ❤️

Today with leaders in NLincs, piloting a model for INT development and we’re starting with action learning. Is it the best method to translate learning into action that supports change? My former coach #johnburgoyne thought so. He taught me a lot.

The state needs to work for everyone- children, pensioners, disabled and sick people. Most have paid or will pay taxes and are entitled to a state that values them.

A huge congratulations to the 10 winning charities of the 2025 GSK IMPACT Awards! The awards recognise the amazing work done by charities to support the health and wellbeing of their communities. Find out more about the winners and runners up: www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-...

Fab session with @mustbemistry.bsky.social & the VCSE leaders @thekingsfund.bsky.social So much experience in the room, so much willingness to develop understanding in service of clients, so much potential for transformation. Inspiring.

The cats have gone to sleep and so must I.

So many beautiful songs & magical to hear them sung live. This song by Karine Polwart had huge resonance for me (ie made me cry). My scars will never truly heal but I am here, and I’m still growing.

Spring blinks, rubs its eyes, stretches, yawns, puts on new clothes, sings a song of hope.

Beautiful day with the girls, climbing trees, skimming stones, ice cream on the way home

Didn’t open the window so’s not to startle them. So beautiful.

Never has this seemed more apt. (Credit: Simon Kneebone)

This is more true when you’re trying to think in a language not your own. I have just had a conversation with my French neighbour about the fence that divides our land & his peacocks who don’t care for fences. No English, no Google translate. I got a lot wrong, but we managed.

To Birk Bank quarry for a 4 mile walk; came back with bright red face (Billy) and a hypo (me) so hurray for emergency snickers. Forgot to take pics. Fab photo from commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Di...

Europe’s Copernicus observation agency confirmed on Friday that 2024 was the hottest year on record. www.ft.com/content/fd91...

I wrote a post about collaboration and system leadership and where the best examples are to be found. Maybe you know?

Xmas decorations packed away in the store, tree waiting for collection, new diary filling up, stall restocked, snow falling quietly, sitting down with my book.

5 years ago. Vivaldi by candlelight at Manchester Cathedral. Such a beautiful way to end the holidays

Yet another outing for this sadly perennial piece (c/o @tortoisemedia.bsky.social).

Can we afford to wait years for a report on what’s needed to reform social care? There are no easy solutions but we know what works: it’s systemic, joined-up, focused on people, preventative, integrated, locally-driven as opp to top-down. Great example here from Adam Lent @thekingsfund.bsky.social

I did as instructed

Pendragon Castle

New Year’s Day walk with ‘my’ new walking poles

Hide and seek and a walk round York on NYE

Family time in Yorkshire

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again” (C.S. Lewis). A present from my son, who knows me well.

Rest in peace, Jimmy Carter. Thank you for being one of the remarkable people who demonstrated that what's often thought of as time for retirement is when some among us reach their prime. Thank you for your feminism, your advocacy for Palestinians, your hands-on Habitat for Humanity work....