I have decided to steal a page from Helen Hollick‘s book and not only send out my newsletter to subscribers, but also share it here on my blog. I must admit I am somewhat irregular with my newsletters – I am hoping this decision will force me to be more disciplined. Not that I necessarily […]
My newsletter – March 2025, times of turmoil indeed Read More »
We are mere days from Christmas. Hubby and I have just taken the first of many Christmas saunas, 45 minutes spent in a warm enclosed space while outside the winter night deepens into hues of dark blue and an owl hoots in the distance. A much-needed break in these last few days leading up to
Seasons Greeting – a reflection on hope and peace Read More »
I had the pleasure of visiting a magnificent renaissance palace earlier this year, the Casa de Pilatos in Sevilla. There, on a wall, I found the quartered royal arms of France and Castile. As you all know by now, I am something of a history nerd, so I immediately started casting my mind back to
This spring, our country house has been something of a construction site. First, hubby decided to build a greenhouse. “I want to grow my own veggies,” he said, but if we’re going to be honest, it’s mostly tomatoes and cucumber he wants to grow. And aubergines. And chillies. And have a home for his citrus
Finding peace in the heat – a reflection on saunas 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 »
Last week, I undertook one of the few challenges I dread: I migrated from one laptop to the other. Now, all those Apple users out there will probably leap forward to tell me it is easy-peasy with a Mac, but I am not an Apple person. I am an android/Windows person. Mostly, I am happy
Living in the age of tech – or fighting the digital windmills of laptop upgrades Read More »
Now and then, I choose to write a somewhat more personal post on this blog, and for some obscure reason I woke today with this huge urge to do just that. Those of you who have followed my blog for some time know I am the proud mother of four—now very grown-up—children. Personally, I’d have
His competitive streak – a personal reflection on reinvention Read More »
The men in my brain have a tendency to ambush me at the most inappropriate moments. Note the men in my brain: in real life, I have only one man, and he is not much given to ambushing me—and when he does, he calls it a surprise, ergo the ambush is a (supposedly) pleasant experience.
Of stereotypes and heroes – a reflection on my leading men Read More »
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 »
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 »