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Great story of the all the geese a swimmin'! Love the 'zen and peaceful' state of your description. I swim most days in the sea and experience it too - very special. We get a few swans and lots of swooping sea gulls, the occasional seal, but so far no geese!

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Aah brilliant, whereabouts do you swim? X

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I swim off the south coast in England. I wrote something about my sea swimming on Substack recently. Would you be interested to read it?

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I loved this post. Fascinating and funny.

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Thanks so much!! ❀️

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Love your descriptions of the birds merging with your world Emma. Now air traffic control is one of those jobs I just couldn't do. So much respect for the people who do. I am far to dreamy for the focus that you need!

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🀣🀣 yep there’s not much scope for day dreaming to be fair 🀣. I think I had to grieve coming away from it in some ways, but now I look back with such fondness πŸ’•

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There must be a lot to be proud of Emma and easier to look back with fondness when you’re not in the thick of it anymore! πŸ™

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There us but it’s so much easier to be self critical all the time isn’t it!! I’m finally learning to allow myself that self kindness that we all deserve. It’s just taken me 50 years! Much love πŸ’•

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Sounds magical.

I swam with geese and swans in the Serpentine years ago.

And DECADES ago (still laughing thinking about it) a friend yelled at me to get out as the geese could only see our faces due to swimhats and wetsuits

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Haha brilliant! It's so lovely to be immersed in their world, realising we are the visitors, the bystanders. Do you still swim? x

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Absolutely 😍 Am in the west of Ireland now. I mostly swim in the sea. Was in Tourmakaedy waterfall on Wednesday (beyond magical) or the Shannon.... if I don't get at least one wild swim a week, year round, it massively impacts my mood. It's like a soul soother β™₯️ x

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Oh that sounds magical indeed. I will look that up next time I'm in the motherland. I totally agree. I try and get in the lake three times a week, no matter what my state of health, and a minimum of one. It is absolutely a soul soother - love that x

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Golly... studying a Masters in disaster management doesn't sound good for the nervous system 😳 Love your writing and the parallels you draw here. Somehow the natural world always seems to have an inherently better design than the human version!

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It was sooo interesting - I'm fascinated by how we make decisions under pressure and human behaviours in general! How what has come before influences what comes next. And yes absolutely - nature gets it so intuitively right! We have so much more to learn...

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Aug 4, 2023Liked by Emma Simpson

Happy Friday Emma! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading your lovely post today - in fact, I was delighted when it just popped up on my screen - I stopped what I was watching on the television (cookery repeats), so I could read it straight away.

How strange that your piece was about past and current life colliding, as only last week I was only thinking how my formative years had been shaped ever so slightly, by knowing your mum and dad, and Brenda and Brian. Although I’m not going to ramble on now about it as I’m sure it’ll bore the pants off you and probably, other readers! Although I will say that I was first introduced to Simon and Garfunkel by your mum and dad, when they’d bought their Bridge Over Troubled Waters LP., and played it for me. I’ve been a lover of that album to this day, with a very special love of the title track, (of that another time!) and the track Cecilia, to which I made up a dance, (with the children in the street), at Sandown Drive in Rainham!!

Then I read tonight that your second book is going to focus s little on the rituals of tea - my absolute favourite pastime! Every afternoon, I lay my tea tray ready on the beautiful tray that used to belong to my granny, (whom I utterly adored), and make a huge pot of Lapsang Souchong tea, just for me, in my gorgeous silver tea pot, with my milk jug and sugar bowl and delightful silver Art Deco tea strainer! I have such wonderful memories of staying with my granny and grandpa in London for a few days at a time, and having afternoon tea served every afternoon, in exactly the same way, but also served with Hovis brown bread and butter. The bread had to be a day old, as the bread would butter properly then! Such memories. Having afternoon tea is my little ritual every day. It is my calmer, it stills me and it’s just mine.

Sending you (and Brenda and your mum) love

Susan xx

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Aug 5, 2023Liked by Emma Simpson

I loved that album and that song! You’ll have to show us the dance one day if you can remember it! πŸ˜‚ xx

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Aug 5, 2023Liked by Emma Simpson

I wish I could do it too Brenda!! I do remember it involved a lot of twirling around though!!

It’d be lovely to catch up with you too Brenda. I’ve emailed my phone number to Emma, but would be delighted if we could chat too!

It’d be fabulous to hear about your life since the 1970’s!!! Love and hugs

Susan xx

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I'll circle us all in on the email 😍

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Oh Susan I love this!!! And your comments are beautiful and NEVER boring - please don’t stop telling your stories πŸ’•πŸ’•. It’s wonderful how those former experiences have imprinted upon your life, and I would love to talk to you about tea (and life and memories and everything!!).

I’ll be posting a short excerpt from my tea book next week so do look out for that.

Can we arrange to chat? Much love, Emma xx

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Aug 4, 2023Liked by Emma Simpson

In that case, I absolutely will bore the pants off you with all my memories and stories!

But a proper chat would be fabulous - I’d love that too! Shall I phone you? Xx

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Yaay! Great. Can you let me know your email? Or email me on emma@emmasimpsonauthor.com with your number? πŸ’•πŸ˜

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Aug 4, 2023Liked by Emma Simpson

Email sent Emma! Xx😘

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😍😍😍

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Oh I'm so pleased you liked it!! Haha yes you need to try it - it's great fun!! I totally agree re the background - I think it absolutely complements what we can and do offer here in our words. Trust in it for sure! xx

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