Author Archives: Laura Dobson

“”Three indispensables of a nobleman are: his harp, his blanket and his cauldron.” – triad from Laws of Hywel Dda Under most modern laws of distraint – whereby goods are removed from a household in compensation for debts unpaid – there are certain articles that cannot be removed. These usually include the items by whichContinue reading “Thought for the day, Thursday 4th July”

“If I find a green meadow splashed with daisies and sit down beside a clear-running brook, I have found medicine. It soothes my hurts as well as when I sat in my mother’s lap in infancy, because the Earth really is my mother, and the green meadow is her lap.” Deepak Chopra

“We must become so alone, so utterly alone, that we withdraw into our innermost self. It is a way of bitter suffering. But then our solitude is overcome, we are no longer alone, for we find that our innermost self is the spirit, that it is God, the indivisible. And suddenly we find ourselves inContinue reading “Thought for the day, Tuesday 2nd July”

“”Whatever anyone does or says, for my part I’m bound to the good. In the same way an emerald or gold or purple might always proclaim: ‘whatever anyone does or says, I must be what I am and show my true colours.’” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.15 The Stoics believed that every person, animal, and thingContinue reading “Thought for the day, Monday 1st July”

“The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love – whether we call it friendship or family or romance — is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light.” James Baldwin (1924 – 1987)

“Most of us lead far more meaningful lives than we know. Often finding meaning is not about doing things differently; it is about seeing familiar things in new ways. When we find new eyes, the unsuspected blessing in work we have done for many years may take us completely by surprise. We can see lifeContinue reading “Thought for the day, Saturday 29th June”

“One who expects to change the world will be disappointed;one must change one’s view.When this is done,then tolerance will come,forgiveness will come,and there will be nothing one cannot bear.” Hazrat Inayat Khan, Sufi master (1882 – 1927)

“I am the mother of sorrows,I am the ender of grief;I am the bud and the blossom,I am the late-falling leaf. I am thy priest and thy poet,I am thy serf and thy king;I cure the tears of the heartsick,When I come near they shall sing. White are my hands as the snowdrop;Swart are myContinue reading “Thought for the day, Thursday 27th June”

“Wide green world, we know and love you:Clear blue skies that arch above you,Moon-tugged oceans rising, falling,Summer rain and cuckoo calling.Some wild ancient ferment bore us,Us, and all that went before us:Life in desert, forest, mountain,Life in stream and springing fountain. We know how to mould and tame you,We have power to mar and maimContinue reading “Thought for the day, Wednesday 26th June”

“Threats to freedom of speech, writing and action, though often trivial in isolation, are cumulative in their effect and, unless checked, lead to a general disrespect for the rights of the citizen.” George Orwell (1903 – 1950), born on this day