Sixteen years. When I say that number out loud, it still feels both impossibly long and, at the same time, like just yesterday. Sixteen years…
Well, it has been a full year since I got the keys to Castle Ryan. As I look around, I can see how much I…
I am a goal-setter and, mostly, a goal-getter. But sometimes I set too many overly ambitious goals, and I struggle to meet them. It’s not…
For 2024, I set out to breathe new life into old things, and I managed that – although it will be an ongoing objective as…
Today is International Pronouns Day, so please let me introduce myself to you, again. (And again.) Hello, my name is Frances, and my pronouns are…
Today marks 15 years since my husband’s death and that means I am doing a lot of reflecting. Some of that reflection is about the…
Welcome to Castle Ryan, my new house that I hope to transform into a home. It was about 16 years ago that I last made…
My overarching goal for 2023 was “simply me”. The objective was to focus on my needs and to prioritise them a bit (something I have…
Twenty-two years ago, I arrived in Scotland to begin a one-year study abroad programme. It is sometimes hard to believe that it was that long…
Another year has passed without my beloved husband and my heart aches from his absence these 14 years. Yes, the pain is softer now. But…
I found a photo of Mum a couple of months ago, taken the day after her 48th birthday. As I looked at it, I smiled…
In my world, letters and numbers are alive. OK, maybe not quite “alive” but they do have animate properties. Things like genders, personalities, and interpersonal…
I have long kept a journal or diary of some fashion or another. Indeed, I began dabbling in the art of journalling as a young…
Today marks 17 years since I became Mrs Ryan. And despite the absence of Mr Ryan, I like to mark this day as it was…
It’s now been 13 years since my beloved husband, Paul, died suddenly and unexpectedly. It’s a strange feeling, being this far from the immediate grief…
I had so many amazing plans for a motivated, positive start to 2022. But here I am, at the start of the third month of…
I arrived home from my homeland holidays last week and have finally managed to finish unpacking and organising all my luggage. It was a bit…
When I set my goals for 2021, I tried to be realistic about what I could accomplish. You know, something that I can manage but…
It’s been a little over six months since I began working from home full-time, and I am trying to prepare myself for another four months…
My primary goal for 2020 is to be a stronger and more confident me. But if I’m honest, it’s a goal that I have been heading…