Three months later, and I am still (mostly) isolating at my cottage in the country, thanks to the COVID19 pandemic and the social distancing and self-isolation rules.…
Today marks two months of COVID19 self-isolation for me. Two months! Wherever has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday that I was marking…
I have long been aware of the privileges I have in this world simply because I am a white, Christian, American. That’s not to say…
Today marks one month of COVID19 self-isolation for me. My isolation began shortly after returning from my relaxing holiday in Cambridge and about 10 days before…
Today is a bit of a celebration day for me as I mark six straight months of taking (at least) 10,000 steps a day. This…
I started a new job at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) today and am extremely excited about it! The new job means that my visa…
Yesterday was a monumental day here in the UK when the Prime Minister put the nation on (essentially) a full lockdown. It wasn’t really unexpected,…
I participated in a webinar about research into Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) and ketosis the other day and was quite pleased to hear such a measured take…
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…
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 attended my first “Death Café” last weekend. I had heard about these events in the past but had never had the time to attend,…
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…
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)…
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…
Wow! It has now been two years since I started taking tolvaptan, a drug that is meant to slow the progression of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). I…
On my way home from visiting my late husband’s grave, I stopped off in Berwick-Upon-Tweed for some adventuring. I thought that it would be a good way to…