Author: Away From The Noise
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I Love Coffee (And Gertrude Stein)

Sometimes someone says something and you just think ‘that’s exactly how I feel’. This is one of those times. “Coffee is real good when you drink it. It gives you time to think. It’s a lot more than just a drink. It’s something happening. Not as in hip, but like an event, a place to…
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What’s Stopping You? Really?

Yesterday’s post What If It Goes Right got me thinking more on that subject leading to today’s post. What’s stopping you living the life you want to live? Some people say that they don’t have time to do what they have always wanted to do. So instead of focusing on what time you don’t have,…
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How Spending Time In Cafes Adds To Your Life

It’s Tuesday morning, the sun is shining and I’m spending time in a cafe near my flat watching the world go by. I’m not doing anything else per se, but this ‘freedom’ helps my mind to wander and think about new projects. I always find new ideas come to mind spending time in cafes because I’m…
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The November Manifesto

Hi There are many different reasons why we may want to get away from the noise of our daily lives and there are countless ways to help you do so. This blog is my way of doing that. I live in Granada in the south of Spain, write songs, teach English and now write this…
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The Act Of Doing Things Sideways

Why do you do what you do? Money. Fame. Glory. These are stereotypical answers and true to varying degrees for many people, but if you are not one of those people, why do you do what you do? I watched one of my favourite films ‘Sideways’ last night. Spoiler alert if you haven’t seen it!…
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Anticipating Hummus

Inspired by today’s Daily Prompt, an interesting question: – if you could slow down an action that usually zooms by, what would you choose? On reflection, there would be a thousand things I would like to slow down, including at times my life in general as I get older and watch it fly by, whereas…
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I Scared Myself And Survived

As you may know from yesterday’s post Do Something That Scares You (Especially On Halloween), I was quizmaster at a quiz last night speaking in English and Spanish. Speaking in a foreign language with an audience was something that scared me but I thought I’d do it anyway. I’ve only been in Granada for a…
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Do Something Each Day That Scares You (Especially On Halloween!)

I’m a bit scared today as I recently accepted an offer to be quizmaster at a local quiz tonight here in Granada. Unlike many people, I actually quite like speaking in front of people, however I am a tad scared today because I will be doing this in English. And Spanish… I have lived in…
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It’s All About Now, Isn’t It?

It’s a beautiful day and I’m lucky enough to be sitting outside at my favourite bar having a morning coffee. I’ve just started a new book that I’ve been wanting to read for a while. And I’m really enjoying the moment. In the here and now. The truth is that happiness is for us to…
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Let Me Be Me

I recently heard a song called ‘Let It Be Me’ by an American singer called Ray Lamontagne. It’s a simple, beautiful song about that melancholy yearning for love that you find in classic ‘pop’ songs that has resonated with generations of people over the years. Of course, once I like a song, I play it…
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How To Move Forward

I’m currently listening to one of my all-time favourite musicians David Sylvian, probably better known in the early 1980s for being ‘the most beautiful man in the world’ and for his band Japan and songs such as ‘Forbidden Colours’ and ‘Ghosts’. However, since he split the band up at the peak of their success in…
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Sing When You’re Winning

So how often have you been told you’re wonderful? At work? By your family? By your partner? You may be lucky and have praise heaped upon you every second of every day, however for most people, such positive feedback is sadly not as common as we would perhaps like. We always get to hear about…
