It's been a mild January so far, but if there is one word that springs to my mind this month, it's grey (and relentlessly so). Even my normal optimistic self is craving now for some sunlight, some hint of colour outdoors, some blue sky on the horizon. In their absence, I've been quietly focused indoors. Perhaps it's…
A decade ago I ran an online shop. In hindsight, it was a little ahead of its time, selling handmade, locally sourced gifts, the kind you find these days on notonthehighstreet.com. It was a part time endeavour, which I dedicated my evenings to while working full time during the day. It was also a labour…
It's so easy, isn't it, come Wednesday, when we reach the mid point of the working week, to start thinking about the weekend. Collectively, as a nation, we seem to sigh with relief that most of our working week is behind us and that the weekend is almost in sight. I know it's something I'm…
As winter calls for snuggling up with a good book, I thought I'd share a few of my personal favourites. With common themes of nature, gardening and seasons, I love these books for their storytelling, illustrations, language and photography. 1.The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett I'm sure many of you will already know this…
I always feel optimistic at the start of a new year - gazing into the future, contemplating the twelve months ahead, quietly excited about the possibilities it brings for moving forward. I've never been one for resolutions but each year, as I've opened a new diary, I've felt compelled to write down some goals and…
As the end of year approaches, I've been thinking about the past twelve months, trying to assess how it all went. Looking back, it was a rather lovely year. We and our families enjoyed good health, we paid off our mortgage, Boris reached the grand old age of 3 and I hit the final year…
Is it just me or does time seem to speed up as we hurtle towards the end of the year ? The last six weeks or so seem to have gone by so quickly and Christmas is almost upon us. I'll be honest - I used to love Christmas but in recent years less so,…
