I would write this on pretty paper for you but I worry that it would not withstand the passing of time. The house moves, the births and deaths that have yet to come. The year is 2017. I imagine you to be alive and perhaps able to read this around 2100. I doubt that I will be there to see … Read More

When we were on the verge of becoming parents, we were showered with well-meaning advice and recollections from people who had ‘been there, done that’. One recurring comment was that along with the terrible twos we should order an extra bundle of patience for the ‘why’ stage. So, when Chief was on the edge of turning two, and Munch was … Read More

I was challenged to join in some more fun this week, in the form of answering 20 questions about myself. I love things like this, so without further ado, here goes… 1. Do you have a nickname? When I was younger my sisters sometimes called me Darling. My full name is actually Josiane so although not exactly nicknames I do … Read More

Earlier this week I was very excited and humbled to be given a Blogger Recognition Award from the lovely My Real Fairy. To know that other people are reading and appreciating my writing means the world to me. So firstly a huge thank you to Mainy 🙂 The idea of these awards is that they are given from one blogger … Read More

I loved to read, and reread, Jill Murphy’s The Worst Witch when I was younger, and I delighted in watching the film version too. Even as an adult I find myself humming along to one of the main tracks, Growing Up Isn’t Easy (you can watch it on You Tube here*). I was reminded of this tune again at the … Read More

A few months before I got married in 2008 I decided that I ought to look into having a proper skincare regime. I had never suffered from breakouts, even as a teenager, but was prone to the odd spot or, more often, dry patch and occasional dull skin. My wedding was in the autumn of 2008 and I thought it … Read More

I have a clear memory from when I was growing up of a book that my mother owned called Confucius Says. It was my introduction to the philosopher and, among other things, there was one page entitled “Confucius Says, Love Is…”. It bothered me in my late teens and very early twenties that I couldn’t remember what Confucius had said … Read More

I’m acutely aware that I haven’t been as obviously present on the blog as I would have liked to have been recently. I have been fairly active on social media though, and if you follow me you’ll know that I’ve also been making progress with our garden, with two tonnes of topsoil delivered this weekend and raked into place ready … Read More