I'm woken by a particularly loud owl hoot close by.  "HOOO.  HER-HOOO".  And again.  And again.  Becoming more distant.  I lie listening to the dawn chorus.  There are voices in it that we don't get at home.  It's a bit after five in the morning and I feel I've slept well.  Content.  Lovely down sleeping bag and a sleeping mat.  Gosh camping can be a lot more easy than when...

I woke a bit earlier than usual this morning.  Anxiety.  Some "foreboding" in my gut.  Later today I plan to drive the three hours or so up to Fort William, then down Glen Nevis to a campsite.  Tomorrow I aim to go walking in the Mamores.  Anxiety can be a friend.  Emotion highlights what's important for us - like...

(this short form of the self-compassion scale is downloadable both as a PDF file and as a Word doc) 

It's still early days, but there's an encouraging groundswell of...