In 1777, the Åhrman family welcomed yet another baby to the world. We don’t know much about the family, but given that this baby was sent out to serve as a maid before her teens, we can assume they were at most tenant farmers, probably farm servants. Anyway: the baby was baptised Anna Maria, and […]
Becoming Anders Magnus – the case of an 18th century crossdresser Read More »
My mother was a big fan of poetry, and she would often read poetry out loud to us, in Swedish or English or Spanish. (A galopar, she would read, a galopar hasta enterrarlos en el mar, and all those rolling Spanish r’s would send shivers down my back. She was rather fond of Rafael Alberti’s
There came a letter – a reflection on home, memories and golden moments Read More »
Some years ago, I got a very official looking letter from a lawyer in a small town in Sweden. I had no business in said town, had at most driven through it, so I was rather curious as to what the letter might contain. Very formally, the letter informed me that I was a potential
Just another mother – homage to a woman without whom I wouldn’t exist Read More »
Here, take my hand. Come on, I won’t hurt you. Nope, just grab hold of me so that I can drag you with me, seven centuries backwards in time. What, you don’t want to? I promise I’ll bring you back. Cross my heart. (Sheesh: some people are SO unadventurous!) Now that you’ve overcome your fear,
The other day, my BFF and I shared a nice cuppa while having a bit of a moan about the fact that we are no longer bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Instead, we have odd aches, have to our shock realised we can no longer leap out of bed (our bodies protest too loudly) and have a
Mellow and mature – a reflection on growing old(er) Read More »
Some weeks ago, I was at Marstrand. Most of you have never heard of this little Swedish gem, but should you ever make it to Sweden, I would recommend a visit. An hour or so north of Gothenburg, Marstrand was once a heaving, bustling place, an important harbour city that thrived due to the herring.
When the light at the end of the tunnel winks out – a somewhat sad story Read More »
I wrote this post several years ago, but it remains a favourite of mine, mainly because the idea of mary Queen of Scots and John Knox working together as marriage counsellors is so…wow? Impossible? So, I give you Mary and John and their efforts to save a failing marriage! These days, we tend to have
The matter of an infected Scottish marriage and its consequences Read More »
This year, hubby and I will be celebrating thirty-five years of marriage. OMG!!! I’ve been married to the same guy for almost as long as my PT has been on this earth. Given that close to 50% of all marriages end in divorce, hubby and I deserve a badge of some sort. I did a
As a writer with a huge soft spot for romance, the word love tends to summon forth images of kisses and soft whispers in the dark, gentle fingers trailing down a naked back, a giggle that ends with a gasp as someone nibbles a sensitive earlobe. Love, of course, is much more than that. Now,
Today, I am hosting a stop on Ms Higginbottham’s Coffee Pot Book Club Tour featuring her excellent book John Brown’s Women. I knew who John Brown was – like many of you, I’d grown up singing about him – so I was pretty intrigued when I was asked to host this tour. I was, however,
A man and his women – meet abolitionist John Brown in Susan Higginbottham’s book! Read More »