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…
When I inventoried the yarn I inherited from my mother, I separated materials by quantity and length. This was a necessary step in the organisation…
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…
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,…
I decided that Dad and I needed to have a Christmas tree this year. Not just any Christmas tree but the Christmas tree: The Great…
We have been doing a bit of purging on my Homeland Holiday this summer. It’s hard to say that this has been “one of my…
I’ve been home for less than a week now, and I’ve already started working through my list of chores. Because that’s how I like to…
I finally splurged on a new dehydrator in late August and kept it running pretty much non-stop until last week. And, oh, what a glorious…
I was given a Biden/Harris 2020 election sign to display in front of my cottage last year, but after the election (and inauguration) was over,…
I have (finally) made myself a lovely Christmas wreath out of corks and muselets from various bottles of fizz* – mostly Prosecco, Cava, Champagne, and…
Like many people trying to survive during the COVID19 pandemic, I have been doing everything I can to keep myself safe and healthy. And, like…
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…
I had a fantastic weekend in Glasgow with friends, despite being a bit run down from last week’s trip to London and Surrey for work.…
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…
Anyone paying attention should know by now that the gloriousness of plastic is less than glorious. And, in fact, our planet is in quite a…
When I was back home in America on my holidays, I was offered a couple of dresses that didn’t fit just right. But as the previous owners were…
Growing up in a large family, hand-me-down clothing was a regular part of life. It wasn’t necessarily something I hated (after all, I really wanted some of them!) but it certainly…
[Note: This was originally posted on my PhD blog, FrancesRyanPhD. Not all posts from there are shared here, so go over and check it out if…
Sock monkeys, sock monkeys, and more sock monkeys! When I made my first sock monkey last year, I didn’t really envision myself making another. But last…