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…
I don’t know about you, but I find annual resolution-setting to be a challenge in itself. I love the idea of a strong resolution to…
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 dug out my Christmas decorations yesterday in anticipation of decorating the cottage in a couple of weeks. And when I dug them out, I…
At the end of 2018, I had a last-minute idea to use an A5 notebook as a weekly to-do book. The notebook was just a…
Last year, I conducted a massive “friend cull” on Facebook. It took about a week to complete the process that, ultimately, led to severing Facebook…
On my way to the Death Café a couple of weeks ago, I wandered through a couple of old kirkyards at the base of the Edinburgh Castle.…
I am in Ljubljana, Slovenia at the moment for an academic conference, and I am falling in love! Why? Because much like my visit to (and subsequent love affair with)…