Today should be a big celebration to mark my husband’s 60th birthday. But, as with too many years before, he is not here to celebrate;…
I have a new job; one that I have dreamt of for more than 20 years. Yes, as of this week, I am a Lecturer*…
Today marks 20 years since I first arrived in Scotland for “just one year” as a study abroad student. At the time, I never expected…
Today is not my birthday. But it does mark the day that I am older. Oh, sure, every day is a day that we are…
Today is my “would be” 16th wedding anniversary. Yes, it has been 16 years since I laughed at the altar in my hometown church and…
Another year has gone by without my husband by my side. After 12 years of this horrible widow life, I have come to know what…
Today is my 47th birthday and to celebrate, I ran 47 furlongs! Which I know seems weird, but I like to have a bit of…
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…
Over the past two months, I have gone back through every single one of the 1,400+ posts here on my blog, as part of the…
Today would have been my 15th wedding anniversary. And in this very strange time of social distancing and self-isolation, I find myself missing Paul even…
Today marks 11 years since my beloved husband, Paul, passed away so unexpectedly. His death has impacted my life more than I ever could have…
It has been 10 years since JustFrances.com entered the blogosphere, so I thought it was time for a reflective post to mark the milestone. After all, the average…
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 attended my first “Death Café” last weekend. I had heard about these events in the past but had never had the time to attend,…
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…
It has been 14 years since I became Mrs Ryan, although most of that time has been spent as a widow rather than a wife. Yet…
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…
Today marks ten years of widowhood; ten years since my darling husband died so unexpectedly in the middle of the night. These past ten years have…
Today is Thursday, 21 February. I was born on Thursday, 21 February. And on this very Thursday, 21 February, I am 21 in Scrabble tiles.…