Recently I completed a 10-day silent Vipassana retreat in Sri Lanka based on the teachings of S.N. Goenka. Strangely enough for some, this has been a goal of mine for a long time! After arriving at the centre we all gave in our mobile phones and that was the end of our connection to the outside world for our time there. Every morning we were woken at 4am and then there were 10 hours of sitting meditation throughout the day, interspersed with time for meals, rest and watching

We live in a village half way up a mountain on the island of Lefkada in Greece. It is a rural place with many stone cottages, surrounded by olive groves and pines. Our house is small and needs a lot of work, especially the garden but it is very beautiful. Living here has been a huge change, coming from a commuter belt town in Sussex, England. The weather makes such a difference. Today I was lounging in the garden with 20 degrees of heat and it is 10th November! I love it. The