Nobody asked for this. And yet, here it is: my festive list of happy things for Christmas 2020! It’s been an age since I’ve written a blog post, but can promise I’ve a good reason: 2020 was the year we welcomed our baby son into the world. And promptly apologised to him and […]
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It’s Autumn! Here are All the Nice Things You’ll Need for That.
Somehow a few weeks went by, and then it was a year since I last updated this blog. How remiss of me. Despite this apparent wilting of creativity, the writing side of life has been trundling along nicely, with articles of mine appearing in the Scottish Review (if you haven’t had a look, the SR […]
What Happened When We Took Our Rescue Cat Home
When we got our cat, he was small and neat, still and silent. He was motionless to the point of invisibility. I was surprised to find him in amongst laundry I’d been folding, or on a chair I was about to sit down on. He only ever moved after cautious consideration. Then he would pad […]
The Sunday Happy List – 22nd July 2018
Every day give yourself a present… Advice for a lifetime. What will you do for yourself today? (Nice coffee? It’s always coffee over here). Nanette If you have not yet, please proceed immediately to Netflix and watch this comedy special (or, anti-comedy special). I am bowled over by the oratory genius of Hannah Gadsby. I’m […]
George Michael: My Hero
So this is Christmas. We are divided, between those who are easily swayed by the mob mentality (Chrrriiiistmas they scream, eggnog drunk), and those who deem this season a massive waste of time and money. I would fall in to the latter (because I hate spending money and group projects are the absolute worst) except […]
Hiatus
So… Bloggy thoughts have trundled around my head for weeks, and now I realise that it has somehow been four months since I last wrote anything. I am sorry. Normal service will resume (cheese-snack appreciation! Terrible puns!) I have no excuse, except that life got very full and very real (leaving one job, seeking a […]
‘Whatever Gets You Through the Day, it’s Ok’ – Self-Care Strategies for Realists
Have you ever looked back upon a time in your life and thought is that me? It can’t be. I’ve been daydreaming about my summers during university, when I worked part time and wrote sprawling essays and stories for my own enjoyment. I mean, really? I did that? I sat there in that kingdom of […]
Would You Like a Long Life, or a Good Life?
When faced with a choice between two things, I think its’s always sensible to check: can’t I have both? A long life or a good life. Well, one of the reasons I gave up alcohol and cigarettes is because I wanted more of the good stuff and less of the bad (mornings full of nice […]
Secret Style Icon No. 24: Joan Eardley
A few weeks ago I wrote about Womankind magazine and the editor’s vision of a readership that wanted to ‘look outward, not inward’. I was in need of a bit of that. Just when we thought the sun might return, there were unreasonable flurries of snow across grey Glasgow. All my waking hours were structured […]
In Praise of Having a Rest
Sometime in the dark midwinter I was scrubbing at a blue-black stain on my living room carpet for ten minutes before I realised it was actually a shadow. I wanted to cry. It was past my bed-time and my nervous system was crackling with stress. I’d had about eight cups of coffee since 7am that […]
Amy Jardine 