Back in late May 2020, when the pandemic was already feeling endless but we were all still in ignorance of how much longer the ordeal was yet to last, I succumbed to a fit of madness and ordered a lilac tree. Syringa chinensis, to be precise. I mean, it wasn’t complete madness. We do have…
“Is it that he’s molting making all the fur stand up, or are his hips a bit more prominent than usual?” my husband asked me a few weeks ago, when looking at our cat with his tail up and nose down in his food bowl. I didn’t know it then, but that turned out to…
I am a history buff. Have been for years. I’m not exactly sure how it’s started, though I suspect a particular European history teacher in Exeter had a hand in it, making it interesting and all that (how dare he?) by somehow finding the ridiculous and the sublime in every era, every conflict, every revolution we…
People love rituals. We’re really good at them. Rituals have in fact been a feature of society since… well… pretty much since the beginning of society I imagine. Whether it’s swearing in a new president or sacrificing a virgin for a better harvest, humanity simply loves to mark events. Marking events has a definite sort of…
I’m sure you’re familiar with the phenomenon of reliving your childhood, whether by falling back into an old habit, indulging in a childhood treat, returning to a once-upon-a-time hideaway, or reading something that was a favourite book. It stands to reason then, that if you’re in the profession where you get to distribute your creative work…
The tree is beautiful. The lights are warm. The couch makes for a cozy corner under the shaded icicle lights in the window. There’s a colourful knitted stocking hanging from the mantle waiting for chocolate treats to be hidden inside. The presents are starting to pile up under the tree and more are waiting to…
Anyone who followed my original #100happydays on Instagram will have read about why I have a fascination with frost. It is childhood memories and magic and beauty all rolled together into one very cold but exciting package. Unfortunately (from one point of view at least) I don’t get to see much in the way of…
“When did his feet get so big?” I asked The Mister today when we were out shopping for wellies. His first pair of wellies! I kept thinking to myself. “I dunno. I mean, we keep feeding him, and he keeps growing. Maybe that’s our problem?” What stunned me today is that when I zeroed in on…
As the weather starts to slowly get colder, the rain more prevalent, and the evenings darker, it’s obvious that I’m saying a small goodbye to the summer each day at a time. This is, of course, perfectly normal and cyclical. I am not a fan of colder weather and darker days, but I love the…
I can’t get enough of watching my husband and my son from behind, walking hand in hand. If they’re walking, I marvel at the fact that these are both mine. My boys. If Hawkeye is running after daddy, then he is still running with that awkward, uneven (and so adorable) toddler gait with his arms…
The Feathered Rose 