Thinking reeds

Thinking Reeds is an evocative collection of contemplations, delving into the vast tapestry of human existence and the intricacies of our emotional landscapes. Through ‘Thoughts,’ ‘Second Thoughts,’ and ‘Afterthoughts,’ readers are invited on a profound journey, exploring the depths of love and hate, the complexities of life and death, the shadows of friendship and enmity, and the stark contrasts between wealth and poverty, truth, and falsehood. This introspective compilation captures the essence of the human experience, painting a vivid portrait of our shared vulnerabilities and illuminating the myriad shades of our collective consciousness.

Thirteen Months of Sunshine

Ethiopians have not completely put that historical famine – of ‘Live Aid’ times – behind them and they struggle to understand or to keep up with the Western world, including their ever-advancing technology. Education there is seen as a key to success but balancing developments alongside embedded tribal and superstitious beliefs is not easy. At least now schools have moved from drawing in the dust under a shady tree, into purpose-built structures – with or without resources.  

It was into this environment Valerie was placed when, following the dramatic changes in her circumstances, she made her momentous decision to put her comfortable English life on hold and to replace it with a year in that developing country. At 58, not only did she use her life skills and teaching experience in the northern town of Mekelle, but she lived through a potentially dangerous political time. Valerie used in-country transport to visit some amazing places which included her medal-winning run in Addis Ababa! Partly to record every little detail but also to maintain some sort of sanity, she kept a detailed diary throughout that roller coaster year. This book gives the reader a combination of an entertaining personal read of diaried key events, alongside her own Ethiopian life with its water conservation, frugal diet, wind, dust and much more. Valerie records an honest and sometimes harrowing insight into the little-known everyday existence of Ethiopians.

This Is How We Kiss Goodnight

From cheek-to-cheek teddy bear kisses, to fluttering butterfly kisses, Effie and her mummy decide to inspire lots of goodnight kisses before bedtime for everyone to share.

This is Monkey

Come and join Monkey on his adventures.

Monkey takes a walk in the forest exploring his surroundings, bounding happily over ponds and through the trees. Next…Monkey decides to bake, but which will it be: fairy cakes, scones or gingerbread?

This book is full of colourful illustrations and fun! Perfect for young readers.

This Soul of Mine

This book is a pocket universe, a small representation of life and what it means to experience it. Life is full of experiences that are worth celebrating. This book explores the sadness, tough times, and crippling moments that we encounter in life. From heartbreak and mental health struggles to the moments we look back on with regret, this book explores these moments, because we need to feel them.

This book explores the times when life is confusing and the times when we face experiences and feelings that are new to us. This anthology of poetry aims to navigate these experiences.

Thomas's Tooth

The story unfolds the day before Thomas’s birthday with the crazy antics of the guardian fairies. We go from a simple toothache to multiple visits to the Accident & Emergency department of the hospital. Then to the party the following day, a food fight and strange games with the inevitable happening, more visits to A&E.

Boys will love it and girls will smile at the antics of silly boys!

Now the truth is out, the myth that Christmas tree fairies are tucked away in tinsel each year is blown out of the water. Yes, you think they are nestling in a bed of tinsel in a box in the loft but no, Christmas on the tree is their holiday and their real day jobs are as guardian fairies for little boys and girls. Most are able but unfortunately not all, some are not as competent as they should be, and some are downright incompetent! In Thomas’s Tooth we have a birthday party of injured and plaster-casted boys running amok, and all due to the exceptionally incompetent actions of Thomas’s fairy Erik and his fellow fairies.

Thorn's Princess

The people of the Forest Kingdom of Ferinatia are alive with excitement and delight as Princess Ranee of Ebrinatia arrives with her family and nobility for the first meeting with her betrothed, Crown Prince Jarel Whitethorn, the Summer Prince and future king of Ferinatia. Hawthorn, the servant to the royal healer, is neither excited nor delighted and his apprehension grows when he meets his future queen, and his fears are then compounded when unknown men attack him in their attempt to kidnap the crown prince. Then when the princess disappears and the alliance between the kingdoms is threatened, Thorn heads out in pursuit, unprepared for the journey he has begun through strange and perilous lands.

Thoughts

Incisive views and comments on news of the day, couched in humour and unfailing compassion.

Rt Hon Baroness D’Souza CMG The Lord Speaker (2011-2016)

Lord (Indarjit) Singh’s talks on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’ have inspired many including Royalty, Prime Ministers, Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders.  

One of Indarjit’s talks in 1999 provided the impetus in setting up the Lambeth Group to celebrate the Millennium by setting up a Faith Zone at the Millennium Dome and to Indarjit hosting a National Service of Reflection and Reconciliation in the Queen’s Gallery of the House of Lords. Tony Blair, the then Prime Minister described it as the most moving celebration of the Millennium he had witnessed.

Rt. Hon. Clare Short MP

Secretary of State for International Development

Speaking on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme on December 2004, on who she would like to nominate in the Programme’s competition ‘Listener’s Lord’, the person listeners would most like to see in the House of Lords.

I would like to nominate Indarjit Singh. He contributes regularly on Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’, and he gives impressive homilies drawing on the wisdom of Sikh teachings to help us think through the moral issues of the day.

Lord Singh came a close second to celebrated musician and human rights activist Bob Geldolf.

Thoughts on Paper

These intriguing and immersive collections of poetry are the literal thoughts of the author on paper. They cover a (myriad) range of topics and sentiments, and the author hopes they evoke an emotional roller coaster for the reader.

Thread of Fate

A friendship first made on a 1950s holiday, a document unsigned at the last moment, the suggestion made by a stranger, a photograph taken in Spain, all elements in a chain of events leading to a totally unexpected romantic encounter quite late in life.

This is the story of a childhood in the 1930s, taking us through carefree days at the seaside, when it is never too young to fall in love. An account of wartime on the east coast and day-to-day work behind a pharmacy counter in those long, dark years, is interlaced with notes on severe winters from a daily 80-year record kept by a dedicated amateur weatherman.

Along the way there are accounts of incidents of a supernatural nature, how a smoking habit may have saved a life which it took away in later years, encounters with fire, in one case a little too close for comfort.

Readers can form their own opinion as to whether the happenings set down in these pages are just a matter of random chance, or is there indeed a guiding thread of predestination leading to a totally unexpected change of lifestyle.

Three Little Words

This book is designed to help provide daily or weekly guidance through journaling. Journaling has been a fantastic and invaluable support tool for many years across many professions, but journaling is also something that anyone can do. In a nutshell, it is writing down your thoughts and feelings so you can understand them better. It’s not always as easy as it sounds, and some people find it hard to decide what to write!

If you’re struggling or having a bad day, need to gain control of your emotions, maybe you need some inspiration, want to improve your mental health, or some reassurance that you’re going the right way, then this book is for you. It’s a book that brings you comfort, and a helping hand to set you up for the day.

This book, when opened at the page you come across, has been channelled to help you work on one thing for that day.

Read the passage and think about how it relates to you. Then open up your journal and write about it. See what happens! There will be an individual hidden message for everyone on any given day.

Three Times a Killer

A virus is in circulation in sub-Saharan Africa that has the potential to become a pandemic wreaking havoc on healthcare systems and economies worldwide. Millions will die.

The scientific community and governments work at speed to find a vaccine, but progress is slow. Research labs around the world turn their attention to this latest viral strain in an attempt to find a formula that can be manufactured in volume for global distribution. It’s a race against time.

Dr Dan Thomas was a research scientist working in such a lab to find such a vaccine, but unlike his peers, he was not content to use his talent and intellect to better the world. He had witnessed friends fast-track their careers and accumulate wealth, and he was envious. He was highly intelligent, but a flawed individual addicted to hard drugs and alcohol which affected his judgement. 

Dan’s role in the lab was pivotal. He had responsibility for workflow, monitoring and managing the progress of the lab’s research. A chance encounter with a venture capitalist at a party gave him the idea that he could prosper from stealing the intellectual rights of his employer’s vaccine research, making him a wealthy man, only to encounter challenges he hadn’t anticipated.

This tense and exciting story of one man’s quest for wealth and power reveals the lengths some are prepared to go to in an attempt to achieve their misguided ambitions. Lives are destroyed and people die.