Today should be a big celebration to mark my husband’s 60th birthday. But, as with too many years before, he is not here to celebrate;…
Today marks 20 years since I first arrived in Scotland for “just one year” as a study abroad student. At the time, I never expected…
Life has changed so much in the last 16 months, but life has also been very static. Yes, everything has changed, and nothing has changed,…
Today is my 47th birthday and to celebrate, I ran 47 furlongs! Which I know seems weird, but I like to have a bit of…
I don’t really celebrate my birthday, however, in recent years I have marked the occasion by treating myself to a nice present or a trip…
Today is Independence Day in America and, as an American, I always like to mark the day – even though I live in Scotland. Because…
It has been 10 years since JustFrances.com entered the blogosphere, so I thought it was time for a reflective post to mark the milestone. After all, the average…
And with that, it’s time for another annual re-cap post. Although quite how we’ve got to 31 December 2019, I couldn’t tell you! Yet, here…
I am allowing someone to enter into my little holiday bubble this year. She’s an American PhD student who is “fresh off the boat”, so I extended…
I had a fantastic weekend in Glasgow with friends, despite being a bit run down from last week’s trip to London and Surrey for work.…
I have been off on my Homeland Holidays the last couple of weeks, and am now home in Scotland settling back into my daily routine.…
I cleared out my PhD office at Edinburgh Napier University today. It was a bit of a strange feeling as I know that I will be back in the…
It has been a long time coming, but I am finally a doctor. Oh yes, I am now officially Dr Frances Ryan. The PhD kind…
Regular readers will know that my PhD Dreams have been an important part of my life for a few years now. And excitedly, my PhD Dreams will…
That’s my final thesis submitted and all of the paperwork completed for my PhD graduation on the 4th of July. Are you as excited as I…
It has been 14 years since I became Mrs Ryan, although most of that time has been spent as a widow rather than a wife. Yet…
I am very pleased and extremely relieved to be able to (finally!) announce that I have passed my PhD viva – and with only minor…
Today is Thursday, 21 February. I was born on Thursday, 21 February. And on this very Thursday, 21 February, I am 21 in Scrabble tiles.…
As 2018 winds to a close, I find myself reflecting on the year and how I’ve fared over the last 12 months. And, as always,…
This afternoon I enjoyed a Christmas Eve walk into Pentland Hills to visit the Battle of Rullion Green memorial with my housemate. The weather was a bit colder than…