life
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Coming soon! Not new, but improved!
Hi all, I’m excited to tell you that I am going to be publishing the Magical Years of Lucy Skylark and Olive Framley this year in instalments, starting on Tuesday 3rd March, and then twice weekly as soon as Olive shows up. Continue reading
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Walking – daily. Running?
This is the 10th anniversary of me finishing Couch to 5k! I kept it up for about 6 months after that. I haven’t run in ages but it’s always reassuring to remember I did this. I recommend doing Couch to 5k if you are, like me, someone who doesn’t think of yourself as sporty or… Continue reading
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Bad advice: “You should have” is only good for time travellers
Imagine you’re doing something difficult, perhaps for the first time. Maybe you’ve made a new recipe. Maybe you’ve given a speech, run a training session, had a job interview or even flown a plane. And your family member, mentor, supervisor, manager, teacher, podiatrist or parole officer turns to you and says… Continue reading
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Lucy Skylark Entry 22, 4th July.
Bea asked us if we’d been to the ice cream parlour, Dessert Island. Suniya blushed then, and I felt embarrassed too. I told her about the chef seeming to have a glamour, and no reflection. She looked intrigued. “That’s certainly interesting, but I don’t know that I feel happy with you assuming there’s something wrong.” Continue reading
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Olive Framley Entry 20, 3rd July.
Dear Talia, It’s been a trying couple of weeks. Daddy is furious about the whole Magical Reporter debacle and the fact that people are now asking him what he thinks he’s doing, sending his well-educated daughter to mess around with potions and spells, and I’ve had journalists and paparazzi following me all over the place.… Continue reading
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Bad Advice: If you’re lonely…
I was walking back from town, alone, to my bedsit flat. It was cold, crisp, and dry, as that city so often was, and my room was probably cold. I heard someone say my name, with that sort of surprised delight when you see someone who you didn’t expect to see, but are pleased to… Continue reading
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Bad advice: Fake it till you make it
I know that some will find fake it till you make it genuinely inspiring. There are positives to the phrase, as a piece of advice… It acknowledges that we don’t always feel confident when we start It assures us that we will grow in confidence the more we try It gives us the hope of… Continue reading
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A Day In The Life of A Teenage Witch
Skylark and Framley’s powers are alarming, if also impressive – I witnessed a rainstorm, dramatic plant growth and a slightly fumbled but no less remarkable piece of spell-casting by Olive Framley. Continue reading
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Lucy Skylark Entry 21, 30th June.
You’d better keep your eye out for Supernatural News this week. I wish I could tell you what sort of article to expect, but I’ll tell you what happened from my point of view! Olive has been staying over at Dune House, with her maid Hatty bringing things over, because there are still reporters hanging… Continue reading
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Lucy Skylark Entry 20, 25th June.
You’ll know by now, I hope, that there was some drama with trying to deal with the problems at The Green Dragon Inn, and also that I am not lost, cursed or worse! Continue reading
Helen Speaks 