


Weekly Smile – (3TC #447)
On this spot in January 2021 – nothing amazing happened, it was a week of crossing off a whole load of little easy peasy jobs that so needed doing. Like […]

Weekly Smile – (3TC #447)
I’ve been planning it, pretty much since August … when I say planning I probably mean ‘worrying’ about it. As usual, I finished honing the script on Wednesday – just […]

Golden Years – Engaging Humour: Icebreaker
Introduction “This is not exactly the first time our next speaker, Laura McHarrie has completed an icebreaker. The first one was the second ever meeting of Casterbridge Speakers in April […]

Dire – (Weekend Writing Prompt #185)
The muted muffle coming from the old record player was just dire. We cleared off the dust inches, changed the stylus, rewired the speakers, to no avail; Pink Floyd still […]

Paradox – (Weekend Writing Prompt #184)
“He said, he thought you were cocky.” “Mmm” I replied with a straight face … “I’d prefer to think it is pure hubris.” My boss looked at me in disbelief, […]

Fishy – (6WSP #65)
Kitchen smells fishy – twas yesterday’s supper! (Six-Word Story) Post inspired by Shweta’s Six Word Story Prompt #65 – Fishy. Please click through for the rules if you, too, would […]

Wrangle – (Weekend Writing Prompt #183)
Let us not wrangle, Nor wage to embrangle, Try hard not to wangle … Tis not good to strangle, Light from each angle, That can help us untangle, The mess […]

Weekly Smile – (3TC #407)
I have been randomly blogging for many years, and had the remarkable readership of 38 ‘avid’ followers! As a Toastmaster, I’d often thought blogging would help me build confidence in […]

The House that Jack Built – (You are in control FPQ#88)
When I saw Fandango’s Provocative Question – you are in control? I thought it was worth sharing what I am reading at the moment plus an old blog post of […]

Putting to Rights (Weekend Writing Prompt #174)
Another busy week for the writer, with three online board meetings. Her blogs had taken a backseat. Plus, typing had been tiresome after the hand operation. Recovering, slowly, she now, […]

Success (6WSP #54)
Success; so close, yet so far! (Six-Word Story) This post was inspired by Shweta’s Saturday six word story prompt – success

Artificial Intelligence – (Weekend Writing Prompt #173)
The frown was barely perceptible; just a glimmer that flashed across the forehead. You’d have seen it, if you’d been watching carefully … “Artificial intelligence … how rude! Do these […]

62 Poems – (TTC #345)
Speech Introduction: Laura McHarrie started her WordPress site in 2007, alongside several friends that did likewise. She didn’t know what she wanted to share back then … and even now […]

Just Smile – Ch#58 (Just one thing)
Look at these cute and crazy kids, They’ll soon be monster, pouting, teens, Ignoring what the world forbids, Wishing they ‘so’ weren’t from OUR genes. Wild hormones ensure counter-bids. Their […]

Jostle – (Weekend Writing Prompt #170)
Pandemic aside, it’s that time of year, when the great unwashed jostle for prime position on the beautiful beaches here on the south-coast. While the hoi polloi quaff champers on […]

Nuance – (Weekend Writing Prompt #167)
The mentor muted “Capturing the nuance of pitch, tone, pace, and volume in your speaking voice is important when delivering your talk. Using a high, angry, rapid-fire, shout will convey […]

Wonder! Ch#15: (Just one thing)
We loved the wonders Of nature, when we were young. Revive that magic, As we seek ways to conserve Our beautiful Blue Planet. (Tanka) Photo by Caleb Oquendo from Pexels Chapter 15 – […]

Finger Pointing – (Weekly Haiku Prompt#314)
Don’t point your finger, When the planet turns brown as – Three, point back at you! (Haiku) Photo by Rodolpho Zanardo from Pexels Inspired by Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Poetry Prompt Challenge 314 […]

Syzygy (Weekend Writing Prompt #164)
When Mercury is in retrograde, I blame the celeste for everything that’s gone awry. Shame it only happens thrice yearly. However, a syzygy occurs twice a month, – so why […]

Unwelcome – (Weekend Writing Prompt #163)
It wasn’t long before Bournemouths’ beaches nearest the two piers had filled with bodies of all shapes and sizes. It was bound to happen, wasn’t it? It’d been forecasted the […]

It’s Neverending (3TC #279)
Tis unusual – To scoop a restful pause in A garden much loved (Haiku) Photo from Pexels Post inspired by Pensitivity 101 Three Things Challenge #279 Unusual, Restful, Loved

Tough Times – (3TC #270)
Whisper in my ear, That formidable fortress, Can be scaled with grace. (Haiku) Photo from Pexels Post inspired by Pensivity 101 and the Three Things Challenge #270

Donald Duck Day – 9th June (#Just for Fun)
A sailor who’s called Donald Duck, Is frequently dealt with bad luck, Always swears with a lisp, Stamps his feet, shakes his fist, And most often ends up unstuck. (Limerick) […]

Enveloped (Discover Prompts #27 – TEAM)
One of the most powerful things I have read about is the ‘sales team in an envelope’ theory. I do believe it came from Dan Kennedy, American Guru of the […]

Variations (Discover Prompts #22 – TEMPO)
My all-time favourite piece of classical music is Elgar’s Enigma Variations. That is not just because I love the score, but because of the stories behind each of the 14 […]

Experiential Learning (Discover Prompt #18 – NEW)
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein. I don’t know about you, but I am not a fan of learning from my mistakes. Never […]

In awe (Discover Prompts #14 – BOOK)
I love books, I mean I really love books. I quite like reading them, but get more pleasure in; what it is I discover, the turning down of the leaf […]

Sharing (Discover Prompts #13 – TEACH)
I looked up the synonym for teach and found the following list: Advise Coach Demonstrate Develop Direct Explain Instruct Lecture Prepare Show Train Tutor For me, teaching is all of […]

Au Revoir – (Discover Posts #7 BELOW)
I am feeling a tad below par A little cough that is just enough To make me feel bizarre I’m hoping that it is nothing worse So off to […]

British Sign Language (Discover Prompts #6 – HANDS)
I have been a Toastmaster since 2008, over the years I have learnt to curtail my excessive hand gestures, the clutching of hands at waist-level, the gripping of the podium […]

Mentoring (Discover Prompts #4 STREET)
“Having mentored for years, Laura has studied Catherine Kram, David Clutterbuck and Norman Cohen’s works on the very subject. She has been trained by The Princes Trust, and delivers workshops […]