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…
As any regular Just Frances reader will know, my PhD Dreams began a few years ago. And my actual PhD studies began nearly five years ago. And now,…
One hundred years ago, in 1918, Opha May Johnson became the first woman to (officially*) enlist in the United States Marine Corps. Back then, women were only…
It was nearly five years ago that I first felt a lump in my breast and panicked about the possibility of cancer. At that time, a quick…
Today, I became a Godmother. Again. This time, to my wee nephew, Cameron. And whilst all of my Godchildren – and indeed, all of my nieces and…
I am in The Homeland for my summer holidays. Two weeks of family, friends, and fun. And, hopefully, a bit of nice weather! The big…
At the start of the year, I set myself a gentle running goal: A simple sub-30 5K. I chose the goal because I knew it…
I submitted my first post-PhD life job application today, which I am counting as a milestone moment (hence the celebratory bubbles illustrating this post). The…
2017 is over. It was meant to be my “year of doing” but, alas, it would seem that it was a year undone. Undone, indeed*.…
Christmas is coming – as are two of my nieces – so I have decked the halls! But the boughs of holly will have to wait for a couple…
Today’s post* is brought to you by a writing prompt. The prompt is to “write a list of your favourite holiday activities”. I wanted to…
I spent last week in Washington, DC for an academic conference. But as luck would have it, I was able to catch up with several friends…
One of the great things about my American holidays this year has been the reunions. Each of my three weekends has brought another group together, which means…
This past weekend was my birthday weekend, so I enjoyed a wee road trip to the Scottish Borders to explore in and around Kelso. It was a great…
Welcome to 2017. This is the year. This is the year that so very many very wonderful things are going to happen. This is the…
It seems that 2016 is a year that has left a lot of bitterness for people across the world, for so many reasons. I’ve lost…
Thanks to this summer’s broken ankle, I had to make some changes to my 2016 resolutions. Today, those revamped running resolutions were realised! (Yay!) However, it was…
It’s Christmas Eve Eve (which means that tomorrow is Christmas Eve) and I am acutely aware that this Christmas is different from all of my…
I spent today doing vital ankle rehabilitation work, in the form of walking to and from Castle Campbell in the hills above Dollar. It was a much-needed outing…