30th June 2024: Drama In Football / Solitary Swimming

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- the drama of a football game

- a period of solitary outside swimming (no-one else in the public pond for 20mins!)

29th June 2024: Meeting New & Interesting People

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- meeting new and interesting and joyful people

28th June 2024: Summer Evening Light / Keynes Library / Decentralised Information Storage

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- the way the summer evening light came through a window of Keynes Library

- the reminder of the importance of decentralised information storage and maintenance

26th June 2024: Completing A Piece Of Writing

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- completing a piece of writing

25th June 2024: The Release Of Julian Assange / Peace & Justice For Kenya / The Prince Edward Pub, Holloway

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- the release of Julian Assange
 

- those seeking peace and justice in Kenya
 

- The Prince Edward pub, Holloway

24th June 2024: The Feeling Of Beckton, East London

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:
 

- The feel of visiting Beckton.

23rd June 2024: Girl Celebrating Her 9th Birthday / Later Evening Swim

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:
 

- the joy of a young girl celebrating her 9th Birthday in the Hackney Marshes.
 

- a later evening swim, with the sunset hitting a more acute angle across the water

22nd June 2024: Kandinsky / The Blue Rider / Noh / Daryl Jamieson

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- the paintings of Kandinsky, and The Blue Rider collective.

- the musical and wider ideas of Noh specialist composer Daryl Jamieson.

21st June 2024: Noxalone Training

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:
 

- Noxalone training

20th June 2024: New Home For Client / Non-Alcoholic Beer With Ice In Glass / Watching Football In Pub

 Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- a client finding a positive new home

- an after work non-alcoholic beer, watching England v Denmark second half in a pub

18th June 2024: Humbling Experience Regarding Sourcing / Spirit Of Facilitator / Starting Some Writing

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- the humbling experience that a cursory two-source news verification was not enough (and what sources! Jacobin, The New Statesman) With apologies to Mr. Chomsky, for failing your lessons.
 

- the spirit of the learning facilitator today
 

- for starting some writing that’s been waiting

17th June 2024: Ceasefire Now / Ethical Seller / The Owl & Hitchhiker Pub

 Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- for 1, we are the people, 2, we won’t be silenced 3, stop the bombing now now now

- The understanding and action of a seller when I received the purchase in a broken condition

- The Owl & Hitchhiker pub

16th June 2024: Pond Meeting / Clown Performances / Whittington Community Centre / Strangers In Absurdity

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- serendipity of seeing a friend, unplanned, in the pond
 

- playful clowning performances at Whittington Community Centre
 

- meeting strangers with brave hearts who take absurdity seriously

15th June 2024: Good Conversation With Friend / Outside Brasserie Zedel / Redemption Roasters

 Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- for a good conversation over coffee with a friend. 

- the feel of enjoying a non-alcoholic beer outside Brasserie Zedel with good friends.

- Redemption Roasters coffee shop company - helping to reduce reoffending.

14th June 2024: Non-Custodial Sentence / Sara Jimenez / Ave De Plata / Seven Years Memorial Of Those That Were Killed In The Grenfell Fire Tragedy

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:
 

- The possibilities of a non-custodial sentence
 

- The performance of Sara Jimenez, Ave de Plata at the Lilian Baylis Studio
 

- The further expressions of memorials for those lost 7 years ago in the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Those that continue to highlight how injustices remain. 

13th June 2024: East London Cloth / Confidence / Canal Walking

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:
 

- My friends launching a new chapter with their excellent cloth shop
 

- The flavours of confidences of the attendees and their gorgeous fashions
 

- A gentle meandering canal walk home

12th June 2024: Power Cut Feelings / Reading To A Young Person / The Kenneth Dodd Pub

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:
 

- the feelings associated with a power cut; the disorientation, the sharp change of plans, the fortune to feel it as a novelty
 

- the privilege to read to my friends' daughter before bed
 

- the Kenneth Dodd pub and his developments

 

11th June 2024: The Work Of Liz Rutherford / Classroom N7 Café / A Moth’s Choice

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- The many years of work of Liz Rutherford helping people who are or have been homeless.

- The friendly and relaxing atmosphere of the Classroom N7 Café.

- a moth leaving the room into the great outdoors with a little encouragement.

10th June 2024: Faith Of A Client / Bravery Beyond The Word Incel / Paco Moyano / Eva Yerbabuena / Duende

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- The faith a client has put in me, in spite of barriers and how new I am in their life.

- To be able to hold the word ‘Incel’ after a period of time, and move past the fears and judgements, to allow myself the imagination and thoughtfulness to separate out specific behaviours, and to critique them specifically, and to see what causes and transforms them. To balance a compassionate approach with one that recognises where someone is accountable for various things they have done/believe, and what retribution or justice might look like. Fear is death. No fear, only life and change and growth. 

- the guitar playing of Paco Moyano, and the flamenco dancing of Eva Yerbabuena (Yerbagüena). The spirit of duende!

9th June 2024: Asserting A Need In A Theatre / Cooperation / Hampstead Heath Bathing Ponds / Candid Café

Today, I am grateful and thankful for:

- having the courage to ask someone in the auditorium to stop looking at their phone after they had done so a few times, and it was distracting.

- that they were understanding and changed their behaviour.

- for the bathing ponds at Hampstead Heath, this time, specifically the mixed one - shared with friends - a different but wonderful mood there. I'm grateful for the Men's Bathing Ponds, too. A special place.

- for discovering a new café, Candid Café, near Angel - and that I wouldn't have found it had I not made the decision to try and go to Sadler's Wells Box Office (which was closed). Joy out of a disappointment.