Hello :) I’ve been trying to work out how to send a one-off newsletter in Mailchimp, but I’m stumped. Or to be more honest: I gave up after five minutes of trying to fathom it because, when it comes to working out Technical Stuff, I have all the staying power of a chocolate teapot under a blowtorch. Instead, I am writing a micro-post to tell you about my blog site makeover, courtesy of the very talented and intuitive Richard at Dao Design (who built the original website for me).

As well as the icons for each category, you may have noticed the new logo, with the beautiful bird? There are four versions, with colours changing to reflect each season. After discussing the design brief, Richard produced a mood board of possible images – one of which was this little wren. Now, I cry rather readily, and I *may* have shed a few tears of delight when he showed the image to me: because the wren has a deeper meaning.

Among the several courses on which I am currently embarked, I am studying for the Bardic grade with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. In Druidry, the wren (for which the Celtic name is “drui-en”, meaning Druid Bird) is revered as a humble bird with a powerful song. Wrens remind us that small is beautiful, and that the way to self-realisation can be found through gentleness, humility, and subtlety.

These days, I find an attitude of humility to be profoundly freeing and empowering and, whenever I am able to adopt a humble mindset, I become receptive to learning, and to a sense of wonder wherever I look. The wren is a reminder to stay grounded, keep on learning, be of service – and sing your own song with gusto. What’s not to love about that?

It is my intention for this little blog to be a safe space for anyone who reads it. I openly share my thoughts and experiences, both happy and sad, in hopes that they may help you to sing YOUR song, too – whatever the words may be, and whether you are singing it for joy, sadness, or one of the many shades of living in-between.

I am thrilled to bits with the new site design and feel fully justified in ruffling up my metaphorical chest feathers and chirping loudly about it – because Richard is a web wizard, and his understanding of what I wanted to convey is spot-on.

Out of interest: would more short posts like this one be welcome in your inbox? As I’m sure you’ve observed, I post irregularly to the blog. Each piece can take anything from a few hours to a day or more to write and, like all of us I’m sure, I simply lack the time, on top of the ‘day job’, to post frequently. If any of you follow me on Facebook, you might see the paragraphs I post to my page there. They don’t feel substantial enough to go on the blog, but perhaps snippet-posts might suit you too, if you’re short on time?

Please do let me know, either by directly messaging me on the contact form or commenting on this post. And, as always: thank you so much for reading.

Bright blessings to you.