Happiness Matters

August 16, 2017

Swimming in the Aegean

Fran Macilvey, Happiness Matters 0 Comments

Swimming in the Aegean

 

The soft Aegean

Rocks and salts my palid skin

Burned red by hot sun

A haiku for my writing group, the Thistle Scribblers. Thanks for revealing and sharing the mystery of haikus.

Comparing notes with my sister yesterday, we agree that the Aegean is unusual – soft, it moves slowly. It appears to have no swell or breakers to speak of, the shoreline disrupted instead by waves generated by those in speedboats offering rides and thrills out in the flat waters just beyond the swimmers.

Where we were staying, on the island of Thassos, it proved easy, once beyond the pebbly shoreline, to swim in the cool, remarkably clean and clear water, which never felt very deep. There are platforms of rock everywhere to make it easy to stand upright in the waves, and the only hazard I found – apart from the sneaky hot sun – was in swallowing excess amounts of salt with the water.

We were warned to swim wearing sand shoes, which we did, to avoid the prickles of sea urchins, which I never saw up close. I could see those black spikeys hugging the less disturbed rocks directly below the lit-up terraces at our hotel in the evening. I suspect they need still waters to thrive best.

Which left me wondering – sometimes I wish I didn’t wonder so much – how much of plant and animal life is disturbed by the presence of swimmers, boats, dinghies, and water speeders of various sorts. They cross the surface of the ocean harmlessly enough, and relatively close by, but as I say, the Aegean is soft and slow, and I wonder whether even the smallest disruption has adverse effects.

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August 14, 2017

Our Big Five

Fran Macilvey, Fran's School of Hard Knocks, Happiness Matters 2 Comments

Our Big Five

No, not the animals in Africa that hunters find most difficult to track on foot; not the lion, the rhino, the leopard…

No, I’m only referring to our holiday travels. Our big five featured on our holiday to Greece, from which we have just returned burned, blistered and a bit dazed by the intense light and heat. I loved it, but even for me, it proved a bit too hot…

Our itinerary was a rather complicated:-

  • Taxi to Waverley station, train to London Kings Cross, Train from St Pancras station (‘Pancreas’ to my daughter) to Gatwick Airport, airport bus to Airport Hotel, pause.
  • Very early (4.30 am) bus to Gatwick, plane to Kavala Airport on mainland Greece, bus to ferry port, ferry to Thassos, coach to hotel resort.

Long pause for relaxation, swimming in the sea, drinking mocktails and admiring sunsets. Then everything in reverse on the way home.

Our big five, taxi, train, coach, plane and ferry took four days out of a ten day holiday; an interesting, fun and educative experience. Would I do it again?

Well, waiting for our flight home from Kavala, I noticed that while there was one flight to Gatwick leaving at 2pm, four flights to various cities in Germany were on the boards, all leaving earlier in the day. Which set me thinking. Since most of flying travel time is taken up with getting to airports, checking in with two hours to spare and hanging around in departure lounges, the fact of already being at an airport makes a transit flight for the second leg of a journey Gatwick / Edinburgh much more obviously appealing.

So if there is to be a next time, I will enquire if there are any flights from Bonn, say, to Edinburgh, and take two flights in one day. With the time difference of two hours from Greece, what seems an impossibility while standing in an Edinburgh travel agents, becomes more obvious when glancing at the flight boards in far flung places.

Thanks so much for reading!

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August 12, 2017

Getting Back to Normal

Fran Macilvey, Fran's School of Hard Knocks, Happiness Matters 2 Comments

Getting Back to Normal

Welcome back after the long Summer break – I’m so pleased to be blogging again. It’s great to be getting back to normal, settling back into the usual routines.

But, hang on….

It seems we all take holidays and travel away, abroad in vast numbers each year for a week or two, to ‘get away from it all’. There are dozens of clichés about seeking adventure, a change of scene, finding oneself. And, getting away can make me feel bigger, more expansive, and helps to broaden my perspectives.

And I also love to come home. I revel in comfortable routines, a good bed, soft sheets, a great cup of tea, and familiar comforts; knowing I’m not going to have to deal with too many unexpected quirks…Those quirks that our flat has tend to be known. (Better not mention, then, the shower head in our hotel which hung limply, spraying water all over the floor instead of on me…)

But there is a big part of me that resists the return to ‘normal routines’. I can feel distinctly irked at the return of all the old – and frankly rather dated – expectations that it was a relief to relinquish for a week or so.

So here are my top tips for surviving the post-holiday blues.

 

  • If our first reaction when we come home is ‘Wow, our place feels very small…’ it’s a sign that we have grown during our time away.

 

  • Agree that expansion, change and growth are A Good Thing, both inevitable and precious. There is no going back to the old routines. Life changes forward.

 

  • In the familiarity of being at home, notice how old habits, which took a rest during our time away, resurface very fast. Decide which habits you want to change, and which are okay to keep.

 

  • We can be happy anywhere, so let’s keep the good mood around. There is no reason to send it packing just because we have come back home. Let’s laugh.

 

  • Let’s not go back to what other people expect or want from us. Why should we? Let’s do what we want to do, and leave other people to sort out their own lives.

 

Great plan. Thanks for reading.

 

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June 30, 2017

Ongoing projects

Fran Macilvey, Happiness Matters, Path To Publication, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing 8 Comments

Ongoing projects

I have several ongoing projects, as I work best that way. The third book in my memoir/ MBS series, called, ‘Making Miracles’ is scheduled for publication before the end of the year; and the first of my fiction series, Lisa Somerville is being rewritten; these are my next two book projects for 2017.

But I also have some editing on-board for my mother, who has a lot of books to finish; plus – of course – all the usual routines and expectations which go with being a wife and mum – who is, let’s face it, rather tired, slightly over the hill and needs and enjoys a rest and a laugh, away from the usual pressures of routine. The older I get, the more I relish simple laughter, the more I find that relaxation keeps me going, deeply and more meaningfully than I realised before: what is the point of living so hard that we haven’t the time to laugh?

I’m keen to keep these projects going over the summer holidays; and yet, I really want a holiday too. From previously finding the time away from term routines bothersome, now I welcome the excuse to leave behind my usual shape and form, and move outside to different places, where I can feel refreshed, meet new people and benefit from a wider perspective. I don’t feel that any of that ‘gets in the way’ the way I used to – now it feels like a life-saver.

Perhaps that is one major advantage of getting older. I’m less bothered by what I suppose people expect, I simply want to feel happy, and that can happen in lots of simple ways: it’s not the expensive purchase, the delicious, exotic meals; it is simply setting routines aside for a day, or a weekend, and enjoying being happy, doing simple things like catching up on reading, warming my shoulders in the sun, phoning someone for a leisurely chat.

Thanks to all my friends for making life more fun than I ever thought possible; and thank you to Life for bringing the Summer vacation, during which I shall work, play and laugh at every opportunity. I hope to swim in the sea, dance carefully at nightfall and eat simple food sitting in the sun. Simple pleasures, and valuable.

Thanks for reading.

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June 20, 2017

Where would I be without my friends

Fran Macilvey, Happiness Matters, Path To Publication, Thistle Foundation 4 Comments

Where would I be without my friends?

When I sit to think about how my life has changed in the last ten years, I am almost overcome with gratitude.  My friends…are everywhere.  I go to Meeting, I go to church, I go out for a walk, and always, someone will stop and say hello, and nice to see you.  It is a pleasure to stroll, admiring the flowers, watching the little kids and their parents; and doing such things as this, the joys of friendship are like a gift.

I used to be so embarrassed by the way I walk, that I would sit for hours, for days, in a chair, or about a room, I would wonder what other people were doing, but not be doing much of that myself.  I missed chances, I missed the opportunity to feel part of something.

But now, when I am sitting, it’s usually because I’m doing something fun, or on the web, replying to emails, sending encouragement, feeling part of a bigger story worldwide.  I have friends everywhere, and can even phone them using the Facebook phone.  (Thanks for that tip, Gaston, I’m glad I was wearing headphones when you rang.)  To think I can phone my friends on FB, and I can speak to someone in Australia or America in seconds.  Amazing.

Last night we had our book launch at the Thistle Foundation and it was a great success.  I wasn’t counting, but we probably had about fifty people who came, some we know through our church links, and some from Thistle and from our neighbourhoods.  Thank you so much (!!) to everyone who came and made it such a lovely, happy event.  I am more grateful and pleased than I can express.  And thanks again to Thistle Foundation for their generous hospitality and organisation.  It’s so lovely to be the beneficiary of such kindnesses from all over Edinburgh and beyond.

 

Many thanks for reading.

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June 19, 2017

A heartfelt thank you

Happiness Matters, Path To Publication, Thistle Foundation 4 Comments

A heartfelt thank you.

When my first book was published, the silence was … not exactly deafening, but… I got a hug from a friend, which I remember because it was unexpected and welcome, but nothing else happened.  No streamers, no party, no ‘welcome to the world post-publication’.  I hadn’t expected anything else, really; and when another friend offered to host a book launch in my usual venue – the Quaker Meeting House in Edinburgh  – I had to decline her kind offer, because I was unable to source any copies of my books at that time, and ordering from my publisher would have taken perhaps six weeks and cost a fortune in postage.

It’s amazing how much there is to learn about the practicalities of publishing, and by dint of noticing the gaps in expectations, in the last three years I’ve learned a great deal about the challenges and the politics of this process.  I am still learning – do we ever stop? – and I am very grateful to have acquired what little knowledge I have; and relieved to have avoided most – but not all – of the pitfalls waiting to catch the unwary.  (Though pitfalls bring their own lessons…)

So when Rachael Cloughton  Editor of Scottish Art News Magazine and events co-ordinator at Thistle suggested that we have a book launch for my latest book, Happiness Matters – which goes on extended distribution today – I was moved almost to tears.  Her enthusiasm is amazing.  She encourages me always to also do my best; and her belief in me feeds my own self-belief.

We are having a launch at Thistle this evening, starting at six, and anyone who would like to, is most welcome to come along.  I look forward to the evening, and to sharing with you all, our diverse experiences of what it means to be happy, and how we can achieve that in today’s challenging world.

Thanks Rachael, and thanks to Diana and everyone at Thistle who make Thistle such a welcoming, wonderful place to be.  If you haven’t already discovered the work that Thistle do, now would be a good time.

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June 12, 2017

You are cordially invited – Book Launch for Happiness Matters

'Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy', Fran Macilvey, Happiness Matters, Path To Publication, Thistle Foundation 0 Comments

You are cordially invited to the official launch of my new book Happiness Matters. 

 

To coincide with the extended release date, next Monday 19th June, you are cordially invited to a book launch for Happiness Matters. We are having an evening get-together at Thistle Foundation’s Edinburgh offices from 6 – 8pm. There will be drinks and snacks, conversation and books! You are all most welcome to come along.

Writing a book about happiness is not everyone’s flute of bubbly, nor even their cup of tea. What, after all, can another book contribute to the extensive self-help literature that already exists around this and a plethora of related subjects, all inviting us to get a better, more meaningful, a happier life?

I have had the experience of being depressed for the best part of twenty years – which is a big chunk of time I wish I could have lived through more joyfully. But more importantly, I no longer get chronically depressed. Sad, sometimes, anxious occasionally, but not depressed as I used to, for days and weeks at a time.

Despite having faced more challenges than I wanted to – and we all have challenges to deal with  – I have found a way out of depression that does not involve long and complex analysis.  Happiness Matters has taken ten years to reach publication; in this time I have had lots of time to test out different theories, to see what works and what don’t. I don’t have any magic formula; but perhaps I can reassure anyone who is unhappy, that there are things we can do to help ourselves feel more powerful, in control and pleased with life.

So if you would like to know more – or if you are sceptical and would like to challenge me on what I write about – you are welcome to join us for an evening’s contemplation of the lighter side of life.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

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June 7, 2017

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

Fran Macilvey, Happiness Matters, Path To Publication 2 Comments

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

Indie publishing is great fun. We get to see our baby take shape, totter its first steps, and, in the midst of updates, changes and design decisions, we can really see the potential of a new product, our new product.

So why, when the process – which is like taking a hundred small steps on spider-web silk – is such fun (easy peasy lemon squeezy…) , and so interesting, do I also find it knackering? I think I may have found an answer.

It’s because there are so many processes to go through for the first time.

To open an account on Amazon KDP takes a few minutes; and that process repeated on CreateSpace, IngramSpark and Draft2Digital also takes a few minutes each time. Even so, the dashboards and their requirements are subtly different; and becoming used to the nuances of each, takes mental effort and patience.

Each step is ‘obvious’ when we know how. Which translated, means, when we have done it before. But setting up accounts, uploading books, images and information for the first time in a host of different contexts is sometimes fraught and occasionally terrifying, if only because every single screen terrain is new and different.

I am well used being exact and precise when it comes to uploading information. Though it doesn’t come naturally to me, I do check and double check my dots and commas, and the host of data that is collected and stored to enable book production and promotion.

Though practice makes blasé, for novice runners a first time for everything turns a timetable for publication into a marathon. Seeking answers to obvious questions, (‘How do I upload an image?’) I don’t often get replies, and so have to google for answers and yes, when I see the button on the ‘front page’ marked ‘upload image file’ that then gets filed away in the ‘Can do’ folder.

So I’m glad I have learned to appreciate what I have learned, and to give myself credit for persevering. It has been worth it, and will continue to be, if only because of what I learn.

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June 1, 2017

Amazon CS or IngramSpark

Fran Macilvey, Happiness Matters, Path To Publication 4 Comments

To add to the ongoing debate about whether to source our books from Amazon CS or IngramSpark…

I have ordered two proof copies of my new book, Happiness Matters, one from Amazon’s CreateSpace and the other from IngramSpark, the ‘publishers self publisher’ which is widely used for extended distribution.

How do the paper copies compare?

Amazon CreateSpace

Quick delivery if you opt for the priority or express delivery but expensive for a proof copy, and no reason that I can see to downgrade ‘standard’ delivery times to something like seven weeks: the proof copy itself may be inexpensive, but who wants to wait seven weeks to see it? Priority delivery can be within the week, so I think that Amazon could revisit their delivery strategy and charges for proof copies.

The price of delivery for paperbacks from the US to the UK is a major factor, considering that if you live in the UK and use CreateSpace to source all your paperbacks, this will be an on-going expense.

The other bugbear, apart from the hassle of ordering from abroad, is the currency conversion fees, which pop up on bank statements having snuck under the radar. It feels like a complete pain not only to have to stump up extra fees for priority delivery from overseas but then be met with these little costs. Not expensive, but annoying.

Quality is good.

IngramSpark

If you live in the UK, the paperbacks are printed here, so delivery charges are lower and delivery times are quicker and there are no hidden charges.

If you intend to sell books yourself, or have them available to sell in the UK, set up an account for extended distribution with Ingram Spark. Their website is smooth and easy to use, though being designed for use by mainstream publishers, takes a bit of getting used to. Most of the answers can be found with a bit of research without recourse to the Support line.

Book quality is marginally better than Amazon, especially the look of the cover.

I would welcome your comments about your experiences. Thanks for reading.

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May 30, 2017

Waiting to see

Fran Macilvey, Happiness Matters, Path To Publication, The Rights & Wrongs of Writing 4 Comments

Waiting to see

In the midst of setting up the paperback of Happiness Matters for publication, I find myself quite literally waiting to see what it looks like. I have ordered a first proof from CreateSpace, and another proof copy from IngramSpark and I will be delighted, as well as intrigued, when they arrive. How will they compare? Which copy will have the edge? I’ll let you know.

It isn’t just publication that is now waiting for the next stages. Lots of other things in my life seem to be hanging at that ‘soon but not quite yet’ moment before stuff happens. (Our kitchen badly needs a revamp: I am happy to live without a working dishwasher – I had no idea how expensive they were to run– but with the best will in the world, am finding it a challenge to live without a dishwasher, a freezer and an oven, and with a fridge on its last legs.  Hopefully I can get some ideas about that in the next few days.)

Because of the number of things I have on my mind, my writing and editing – of which I am so fond – are taking a reluctant back seat. Yes, I could write a few paragraphs here and there, I could slot in some writing around and about everything else that is going on, but would what I write be any good? Would I find myself going over it again? Probably.

I have found, to my cost, that there is absolutely no point forcing myself to meet daily targets, deadlines, as what I produce suffers and has to be re-written, painfully, at a more considered pace. So, I comfort myself that all my hopes and plans will come together at the best time, and are still on the right track.

In any case, life is to be lived in the meantime, and I aim to stay happy. If that means taking it slow and careful, then that is what I shall do.

Thanks for reading.

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