Today’s the day – my brand-new website is officially live! And here’s a fun twist: it’s 9 December 2025. The number nine has always been my favourite, and although I didn’t plan it, the launch landed on a nine all by itself. I’m taking that as a good sign.

For a while now, I’ve known my old website needed more than a touch-up. The design dated back to 2019, and although I had updated bits and pieces along the way, it no longer reflected what my business was about (as I hinted in my post before the summer). So, what’s changed?

Today is World Mental Health Day. The theme this year is overwhelm – “when global events and relentless bad news become too much.” But I’m not going to write about that. For me, overwhelm is more personal. Here are my two tips for fighting it.

Turning a cancelled flight into an opportunity. Today I was supposed to fly to Turkey for a long-awaited horse-riding adventure. But life had other plans – my flight was cancelled and rebooked for two days later. I turned this an unfortunate event into an opportunity. Here's how. Don't try and force your will on the world. Seeing life as something you get to do makes a huge difference.

This time last year I announced that I was working on the second book in the series. The book was to be called Reflections on water, and I was aiming to find a publisher. Little did I know what the year had in store for me.

The Eye of the Woods, a photographic journey by Eleanor Smith, is a nature photography and poetry book. I self-published the book at the beginning of last year. It’s the first in a planned series of three. I am now working on the second one, Reflections on Water. More about that further down the page.

This post is about my professional journey towards helping people. That journey started with a summer job, which introduced me to the role of a prison officer. A summer like none other and a deeply eye-opening and rewarding experience. It’s never too late to try something new, even something potentially scary or out of the ordinary.

I reopened my draft blog post from early last month and realised that I could no longer use it. Not as it was. Not anymore. Such is life. Nothing stands still. When you at last find the time to do something, things may have changed. As a writer and as a person, you must adapt. I am in a different place now to where I was six weeks ago. A lot has happened. This blog post is still going to be about the role of nature in my life, though from a distance and perhaps with a touch of nostalgia.

I’m a caring woman. I am proud of that. Even though it can hurt. Nature heals, if you’ll let her. That’s where I go to heal. My blog post comes on International Women’s Day (8 March). I had been aiming for World Wildlife Day last Friday (3 March). That’s life. Today, I can celebrate being a woman that loves nature and animals.

Last time I announced – with no lack of enthusiasm – that I would be spending a week in the mountains. I was heading to Jotunheimen national park. But this is not going to be boring recount of my summer seen through rose-tinted glasses. Who would read that? Let’s just say that I had no idea what I had signed myself up for. I am a strong believer that you learn best when outside of your comfort zone. This is about dealing with set-backs and challenges, and looking at what you can learn.

Life lessons from catching COVID-19. It’s now early June and time for the second story in my “Reflections in images” series. As a volunteer in mental health, the topic is ever present in my life, not just during Mental Health Awareness Month.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Taking the time to work on my pictures was a way for me to do something which is both rewarding and relaxing.

I always take pictures. Whatever happens in my life. It’s a joyful act for me. Let me share some of them with you. Maybe you will find peace in them too and the space to reflect. To stop, to feel, to breathe.

I always feel energised this time of year. I reflect on the year that has been, draw pride from what I have achieved, and dream of the year to come.

What do I take away from the past year and how has it changed me? Maybe my journey of learning to swim front crawl will inspire you to reflect on what you take away from the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I have a little heart-shaped, green stress ball on my Standsome standing desk. It says in Norwegian «Hva banker ditt hjerte for?» which in English means something along the lines of «What does your heart beat for?» or «What are you passionate about?». Today I am writing about following your passion and sharing it with others, and using your skills to brighten someone else’s day.

Today is World Mental Health Awareness Day. As a volunteer with the Bergen Red Cross helping people every week who struggle more than the average person, I am reminded of its importance for our wellbeing on a regular basis.

I feel very strongly that we all must take care of and pay attention to our mental health, especially in these times of global pandemic. We are all affected in more ways than one as the current situation endures. No one can take their mental health for granted and we all will at times in our lives struggle with it.

I have been meaning to write this article for some time now. It is about the healing power of nature in my life especially in this strange year of a continuing global pandemic. We all have mental health – What helps you?

Next week, on 5 September 2020, it will be the UN International Day of Charity. These World Days are in my opinion useful opportunities to be a part of the public discourse in one way or another. We can all do something to raise awareness about causes that we care about. However small, every action counts towards addressing global challenges.

What is “charity” and why does it matter? What acts of charity can you do and how do they help others? How can you fit it into a busy life? At what level in society can we act or hope to have an effect? These are just a few questions and there are many different answers. This article presents my experience and perspective.

This week is World Mental Health Awareness Week, hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, and the theme is kindness. What acts of kindness have you been doing for yourself and for others? I have been focusing on the arts, which you will hear more about now.

We are already more than two months into this ‘new normal’, caused by the ongoing coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic. It has now been a while since our daily lives took on a new look. It seems like a fitting time to be both self aware, consider how we are coping ourselves in this odd situation, and to show concern for others and to do something for someone else.

If you are reading this, chances are that you too are one of the lucky ones. Whether you are a volunteer in a local charity or whether you are just someone who cares about the less fortunate in our highly unequal societies, times like these are ripe with strife, injustice and suffering.

As you all know by now, all face-to-face activities are a thing of yesterday in these days of COVID19, the coronavirus. So how are we coping with social distancing?

What was intended as one article quickly turned into two. This first one covers how I feel about the current situation and how it impacts my life. The next one will be about my concern over how it may be impacting the lives of others, who are far less fortunate than I am. So here’s about me.

Over the years, you learn that time and energy are very precious. Here is how I am setting goals and working smarter, not just harder. As you all know by now, I work in the area of communications and for those of you who do too, I am sure you are familiar with the question “What is it that you do exactly?”.