I almost never “talk politics” here on Just Frances, but today I am making an exception. Because today is a hard day for me, as…
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…
It’s been four years since the world stopped and mass isolations began to take place in many nations and communities. Indeed, my own COVID isolation…
In the past several months, I have hinted at Big Things that are afoot – and I even came close to saying outright said that…
With the start of the new year, it’s time to start thinking about new things. New goals, new adventures, and new life. In recent years,…
It has been more than 22 years since I first arrived in Scotland, and now it’s time to test my knowledge of this place I…
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…
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…
Trigger warning: This post recounts my time with my mother in the last hours and moments of her life. It might be an upsetting or…
It was inevitable, as they say. COVID19 has come home. I mean, it’s not come to my home, but it came to my youngest sister’s…
It’s been a month since I shared that the start of my job was delayed for a few days as I was still waiting on…
Yesterday marked the last day of my post-doc life and today was meant to mark the first day of my lecturing career. But, alas, things…
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,…
Now that I am fully vaccinated and the COVID19 situation in Scotland seems to be improving, I am beginning to take baby steps back into…
This morning was one of those days. It was one of those days when I woke up and I wasn’t a widow. I woke up…
I visited The Real World today so that I could attend a hospital appointment for a routine check-up on my kidneys, Bob and Dave. The…
Whilst I was in Cambridge last week, things were starting to accelerate with the spread of the Coronavirus that causes COVID19. News from America and…