As Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) wraps up here in the UK, I find myself reflecting on my mental health in relation to the COVID19…
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…
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,…
Towards the end of last week, people around the UK and the USA were beginning to increase their social distancing and self-isolation practices, with many…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
It is Mental Health Awareness Week here in the UK, so I thought I’d share a bit about my recent efforts to keep my mental health in…
Note: This is one of a series of Zadar posts with photos. The other two are: Zadar: A Catholic girl’s paradise and Zadar: Everyday life for an everyday…
“You will feel better than this. Maybe not yet. But you will. You just keep living, until you’re alive again.” I heard this quote the…
Way back on February 6, 2002, my friend bailed out on a day trip to St Andrews. With nothing better to do, I decided to walk…
Two weeks before Paul died, we had a conversation about our futures, should one of us die—a conversation sparked because it was the anniversary of…
There is a man who appears in my dreams who isn’t Paul. In my dreams, we’re madly in love. And much like the widow dreams…
I managed to survive Christmas alone. I won’t lie and say that it was easy. In fact, it was so very hard. My broken heart…
I’ve decided to spend Christmas alone this year. I know that sounds silly to some people, but it seems like the right thing to do…
Way back in May, I had a failed attempt at re-entering the dating world—and that was after my ego had already been shattered! At the time,…
Another year, another birthday. Only he’s still not here to celebrate. My Paul would be 51 years old today, but instead he will forever be…