Category: Lifestyle
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Running for Beginners: How to Start, Improve, and Stay Motivated
Starting running doesn’t have to be intimidating. This beginner’s guide shows you how to build endurance safely using walk-run methods, choose the right gear, and stay motivated—whether you run alone or with a group.
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Abandoned Your New Year’s Resolutions? Here’s How to Begin Again
By mid-January, many New Year’s resolutions are already slipping. Gym plans stall, Dry January wobbles, and good intentions quietly fade. This isn’t a failure of willpower—it’s a sign that most resolutions are built on pressure, not reality. This article takes an honest look at why resolutions are so easily abandoned, the guilt that follows, and…
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A Year in Sketches: Reflections on My 2025 Daily Sketch Diary Project
In 2025, I completed a daily sketch diary as a year-long arts project, creating one drawing every day in response to work, news, culture, and changing mental wellbeing. From intense visual metaphors and political moments to texture studies and brighter post-burnout imagery, this sketch diary became a deeply personal record of a transformative year —…
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🎄 December Newsletter
December was filled with winter warmth, creativity, humour, and reflection on alisonlittle.blog. From winter running essentials and mindful hobbies to festive flash fiction, community celebrations, recovery at Christmas, scenic walks, and darkly comic seasonal stories, this month looked back on the many ways we moved, paused, laughed, and connected as the year came to a…
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The Chirk Walk via Two Aqueducts: Canal Paths, Tunnels, and Industrial Heritage
A scenic walk starting from Chirk railway station, taking in Chirk Aqueduct, the dark canal tunnel, and the breathtaking Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. This dog-friendly canal walk blends industrial heritage, Welsh valley views, and practical tips for tackling one of the most memorable aqueduct walks on the England–Wales border.
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Tea-ology
A flash-fiction meditation in which a robin balances a tea bag on its head like a graduation cap, echoing the rise of Leisure and Tourism degrees in the 1990s. Once dismissed as pointless, these subjects—like Tea-ology itself—reveal deeper questions about employability, terrorism, empire, and the fragile systems that shape global tourism. What appears whimsical becomes…
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Iron Men, not Snow Men
Set on Crosby Beach, this flash fiction gives voice to one of Antony Gormley’s Iron Men, blending humour and reflection on public art, tourism, and cultural legacy.
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An Engagement: at the Museum
A woman arrives alone at a historic museum on the opening day of a literature festival, her thoughts drifting through solitude, past relationships, and the comfort of chosen quiet. As coffee cools and anticipation builds, a familiar figure enters, carrying more than expected. A moment of connection unfolds beneath stained glass and gold-faced clocks, where…
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How to Stay Sober at Christmas: Real Stories of Alcohol Addiction Recovery
Christmas can be one of the hardest times of year for people in alcohol recovery. This article shares real-life stories, faith-based reflections, and practical coping strategies for staying sober during the festive season.
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Mrs Badger – A Winter Flash Fiction Portrait of Isolation and Irritation
Step inside the smoky warmth of a winter cottage and meet Mrs Badger, a fiercely stubborn, wonderfully irritable character battling cold weather, smart meters, and the frustrations of modern life. This flash fiction portrait blends humour, grit, and atmosphere in a sharply drawn glimpse of rural isolation.
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