True North Ceremonies

30/08/2026

Minsteracres had its final mass today which is sad for the congregation and community however the venue is hoping to still thrive in other ways.
If you are looking for a smaller venue for a significant event, or family gathering, you may want to give them a call.
They have been known to offer afternoon tea and have set up Sunday lunch with booking available online.
With beautiful surroundings and many quiet walks it may just be the little reset you need…

Join us this summer for a relaxed and unhurried lunch in the stunning surroundings of Minsteracres Retreat Centre, set in 110 acres of beautiful

21/08/2026

Do you have time to volunteer for this wonderful organisation?

If you think you might be able to help, get in touch - we can talk through your questions over the phone, or arrange an informal visit: 07760 124539, [email protected]

03/08/2026

Are you in a position where you can help this fantastic charity?

Help Chrysalis Tynedale raise money to support Chrysalis Club Tynedale

15/06/2026

Sometimes we need this reminder… https://www.facebook.com/share/14gSHRt4q2d/?mibextid=wwXIfr

You've built a life that runs on obligation and efficiency and the constant low-grade pressure of needing to be productive in order to feel like you deserve the air you're breathing. Every hour is accounted for. Every moment has a purpose. Every activity is measured by what it produces instead of what it provides. And the list of things you actually enjoy doing for no reason has gotten so short that you'd need a magnifying glass to find it underneath all the things you do because you have to, should, or feel guilty if you don't.

Something got lost in the optimization. The human part. The part that doesn't need a reason to exist. The part that used to do things just because they felt good and didn't require a justification or a productivity metric or the approval of a schedule that treats rest like theft and joy like a luxury that hasn't been budgeted for.

Here are five things you used to do naturally that somewhere along the way became rare. And every single one of them would change the texture of your week if you did them even once.

Say no without feeling guilty. Not no with a paragraph of explanation attached. Not no with a follow-up apology. Not no with an alternative offer designed to soften the rejection enough that the other person doesn't feel bad about receiving it. Just no. Clean. Complete. Delivered once with the calm understanding that your time is finite and protecting it is not selfish. The guilt you feel after saying no is a leftover from a time when your worth was measured by your availability. That measurement was wrong then and it's wrong now.

Put your phone down and be present. For one meal. For one conversation. For one hour where the device that connects you to everyone simultaneously disconnects you from the person sitting across from you. Put it face down. Not on silent with the screen still visible. Face down. And feel the withdrawal for about six minutes until your brain recalibrates and remembers what undivided attention feels like. The person across from you will notice. They might not say anything. But they'll feel it. Because being someone's full attention in a world of divided attention is one of the most generous things you can offer another human being.

Tell people you love them while they can hear it. Not at the funeral. Not in the letter you write after they're gone. Not in the paragraph you post when the loss has already landed and the words have nowhere to land because the ears they were meant for are no longer available. Now. Today. In the middle of a regular Thursday that doesn't feel important enough for declarations of love but is actually the perfect stage for them because ordinary moments are where real love lives. Say it while it can still change someone's day instead of just changing their memorial.

Walk away from conversations that drain you. You know which ones. The ones where you walk in with energy and walk out with less. The ones that circle the same three complaints like a carousel that never stops spinning and never goes anywhere. The ones where the topic is always someone else's failure and the tone is always slightly bitter and you leave feeling heavier than when you arrived without having added or received a single thing of value. You're allowed to leave those conversations. Mid-sentence if necessary. Your energy isn't a public resource.

Do something that makes you happy with zero productivity attached. Something that doesn't build your brand. Doesn't advance your career. Doesn't contribute to any goal or target or objective. Something useless by every metric the world uses to measure value. Sit in the grass. Draw something terrible. Cook something complicated for no one. Walk somewhere with no destination. Let yourself exist in a space where the only thing being produced is joy and the only person benefiting is you. That space isn't a waste of time. It's the place where the version of you that's still alive underneath all the performance goes to breathe.

You don't need to overhaul your life. You just need to reintroduce the human parts that got crowded out by the productive ones

14/06/2026

Just saying… don’t underestimate happiness. Keep it simple.

31/05/2026

Remembering 🥰
https://www.facebook.com/share/1CeuZPRySV/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Beagles leave paw prints not just on our floors, but on our souls. Their playful antics, their gentle cuddles, and their loyal companionship become memories that never fade. Even when they’re gone, their love lingers in every corner of our lives. We carry their spirit in our laughter, our tears, and our stories. They remind us that true love is unforgettable.

29/04/2026

Sitting in the sunshine, revisiting my counselling training notes… and clearly not alone 🐦

This little observer stayed close, quietly watching as I worked—felt like a gentle reminder to slow down, stay present, and take it all in.

Learning, reflecting, and appreciating the simple moments. 🌿☀️

26/03/2026

Heartbroken and grateful is a strange way to feel. 💔🙏
The tears keep coming, intermittently.
Late last night we said goodbye to the dog we never knew we needed.
Thankfully we were all together as a family to say our goodbyes with the professional and kind Scott Mitchell Vets, Hexham.

For Rosie

Our girl Rosie came to live with us
With troubles in her eyes,
From a life that had not known
Much kindness in its ties.

She came from rescue needing love,
A place to rest and be,
And there she found her home with us,
And Buddy—instantly.

They shared their beds and daily life,
Their home, their joy, their days,
With wagging friends and family,
United in their ways.

Rosie and Buddy—Rosebud,
Together side by side,
In quiet, curled-up comfort
With nothing left to hide.

Until one day a sudden change—
A howl, a heavy air,
As Buddy knew what we would learn:
Our Rosie wasn’t there.

We hoped, we feared, we felt the truth,
And faced our last goodbye,
So grateful for the love she gave
That time can’t take or hide.

And though she’s gone from sight and sound,
She’ll never fade away—
For Rosie lives within our hearts
And walks with us each day.

29/01/2026

Went to Skullduggery hair and beauty in Newcastle for a quick trim and came out feeling a million dollars!

24/01/2026

I’ve been a little quiet lately, but very busy behind the scenes 🤍
Building this wonderful opportunity as a celebrant, meeting some truly inspiring professionals, and visiting the most beautiful venues.
Feeling grateful and excited for what’s unfolding ✨