Articles written by Lesley Allen

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About me - Lesley Allen

I live in the beautiful countryside of Basse-Normandie in France, quite close to Le Mont St Michel.

Before taking early retirement I lectured in Social Sciences in the West of England. My particular subject areas were Social and Moral Philosophy, Sociology

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Society & Lifestyle > Lifestyles Living a simple life: 1 of 96
Living a simple life is not about poverty, self-denial, or deprivation. In fact, it's just the opposite. It's about richness, quality, and full enjoyment.Many books have been written on how to live a simple life. The changes suggested usually range from changing your work, your house and means of transport, to learning how to... More..
Entertainment > Music (Other) Music as a universal language: 1 of 33
Some time ago, a piano-playing friend suggested that she loved music so much that it was her universal language, that it allowed her to communicate with anyone whose spoken and written language she could not understand. However, I have another friend, who lives in Monterey, California, who once claimed that he never listened ... More..
Jobs & Careers > Office Politics Best excuses for calling in sick: 1 of 33
Calling in sick is dangerous these days. With the global and national economies in such dire straits it's unwise to take too much time off work. You might not have a job to go back to. In any case, taking time off work should not be encouraged unless you really have something contagious, such as the flu and risk passing it on... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Society & Lifestyle (Other) What the stages of life are and what they mean: 1 of 22
Of all the psychological and philosophical theories I have studied, Erik Erikson's stages of human psycho-social development is one of my favorites.Although Erikson agreed with Freud in some respects concerning human development, he thought Freud was misguided to believe that our characters are more or less determined by the ... More..
Food & Drink > Dairy & Egg Recipes Recipes: The perfect omelet: 1 of 19
Because we keep chickens, we always have a plentiful supply of fresh free-range eggs with bright yellow yolks for ourselves and our neighbors. No wonder one of our favorite breakfasts is omelet.The secret to making a perfect omelet is not to cook too many eggs at one time. Some people use 3 eggs per person when in fact just 2... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Solitude: 3 of 51
Over the years Meg Carter had learned to accept her solitude by keeping busy. She hadn't always been such a busy person. In fact, she'd been used to taking life at a fairly leisurely pace when she'd had both Jack and Joseph at home. Then, first Jack had gone, and a few years later Joseph had followed.It all started when the S... More..
Food & Drink > Bread & Baking Recipes Recipes: Variations in scone recipes: 1 of 15
The scones I love best are the basic kind served up in Devonshire Cream Teas, with strawberry jam and clotted cream, in old-fashioned English tea-rooms.However, the scones I make at home are usually to accompany savory dishes.Having experimented with different flavors over the years, there are some definite winners among my o... More..
Home & Garden > Cleaning Products How to make the most of a box of baking soda: 2 of 27
Baking soda is also known as bicarbonate of soda, sodium bicarbonate, or just plain bicarb. It's cheap to buy and can be found quite easily on your supermarket shelf. Although it's used in baking to aerate cakes and breads, it has many other household uses.IN THE BATHROOMBaking soda makes an effective underarm deodorant. Just... More..
Home & Garden > Home Interior Positive emotional effects of a scented home or apartment: 4 of 49
A pleasing fragrance can be soothing and sensual, or soft and gentle, or hot and spicy. The slightest drift of scent can trigger vivid recollections of occasions and sensations from long ago. No wonder it is thought that of all our senses, none touches the imagination more effectively than smell.For thousands of years, natura... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Flowers: 1 of 12
The queue was inching its way towards the checkout and Shirley Watkins' bunion was playing her up again. She hated Mr Mishra's shop on Sunday mornings. Truth be told, she hated it all the time because she couldn't stand Mr Mishra himself. She tried never to use his shop but it was the only one open on Sundays and she needed a... More..