I want to talk a bit this week about test four – facilitating, enabling and supporting connections, friendships, relationships, humanity. Call them what you will, this is something Serviceland really struggles with.

I’ve had such a lovely and hugely emotional week. I’ve been in Newcastle for the 40th birthday party of Skills for People, an organisation that I worked at for ten years and which probably saved my life. Please note a trigger warning for self-harm.

This week, I wanted to write a bit about the photo test - Test Three. It’s about the concept of capturing a moment in time and what it tells us about the reality of a life or situation.

Most families I know naturally get to have a break from each other - People go to work, kids go to school. Someone plays golf, someone else goes to church or to play in their local darts team…

So how can it go so terribly wrong when someone in the family needs to draw on support from social care for ‘short breaks’? How can we do something different, that pays attention to supporting good family life and things being as Gloriously Ordinary as possible?

I'm chatting with John Nicoll. John and I used to be married and together we raised the boy and the girl. This week, we’re talking all about where this thing called Gloriously Ordinary came from and why it has always been so important to us.

The concept of ordinary. Get it right and the extraordinary will take care of itself.

Today’s blog is basically a rant, for which I apologise, sort of.  It’s all about a place we call home.

This week sees the launch of Test Five for Gloriously Ordinary Lives. The Four Tests are great but, what about ‘Purpose’?

The second test for Gloriously Ordinary Lives is about the words we use. Sometimes they’re so glaringly, obviously not Gloriously Ordinary – when we talk about people as ‘cases’, as ‘complex’ or being ‘placed somewhere’. Sometimes though, it’s a bit more subtle.

On the first episode of the Gloriously Ordinary Sundays Podcast, I'm chatting to Anna Severwright from ⁠Social Care Future⁠. Have a listen as Anna and I unpick how Social Care Future and Gloriously Ordinary Lives link.

This week saw a beautiful photo test (test three) moment. For the last few months, we’ve been in the process of getting a new Motability car. It’s an amazing scheme and we’re really lucky to be eligible. For most of us, the idea of a new car is full of excitement. For the girl, getting a new car is actually a really stressful experience.

Introducing Gloriously Ordinary Sundays in 2024! Weekly reflections - things that spark my interest and make me think about what it takes to create and support Gloriously Ordinary Lives.