Hello, world
Once a month I have a night or two of insomnia. Despite a double-dose of painkillers my aches crunch on, dulled but unabated, and so I am left to ponder the world in a quietude all my own. I’ve come to enjoy the peaceful time, the botherings aside, and consider it a small space where … Continue reading
Midsummer Americana
I have the luxury of my mother’s rusty old Schwinn bicycle to relish these summer evenings. And what a luxury it is. The light lingers long and orange on trees so green they could burst. The neighborhoods are filled with a floral perfume, like lilac but not so saccharine. The streets echo softly with children’s … Continue reading
Holiday Gifts: off the beaten track
‘Tis the season, folks! I absolutely love gift giving. I love it hard. And as a self-styled Gift Goddess I proclaim here and now the best presents aren’t about the pricetag. If I were to choose favorites among those generously bestowed on me over the years — how crass! — they’d be evenly split between … Continue reading
Travel Tuesday
The new house is finally taking shape. And by taking shape I mean the walls are no longer bare. I don’t know about you, but the powdery deadspace of cheap white walls leave me cold. So at the weekend we hung pictures. Paintings done by Bean’s sister. Vintage opera posters I’ve been hoarding. A pair … Continue reading
Newness Abounds
It is a shiny New Year, and one that is already jam-packed full of adventure. [Warning: since I cannot construct a sentence to save my life today and frankly, I have some furniture which needs sanding, this is less of a poetical post and more a list of rambling nothings.] We are firmly ensconced in … Continue reading
Festive (Quick & Easy) Fudge
Sometimes Christmas presents are a conundrum, but this year takes the cake: my future step-in-laws. The cousins, aunts and uncles of a Bean’s new(ish) step-siblings, including The Baroness (I’m not kidding, the whole affair is honestly out of a novel). I’ve met them twice, including at the wedding. It’s going to be a hoot and … Continue reading
The Purge
In a couple of weeks I will live in the New House. (Can we say “Yay!”?) Of course, in Edinburgh, new is a relative term. The New Town was designed in the 18th Century. The University’s New College is the quintessential example of the Victorian gothic-revival. And my New House is far away from both. … Continue reading
Thankful
I love family. I love Bean. I love leaves and travel and the sea. I know this. You know this. As I sit in a dark, cold house looking out at a grey, blustery day, I am thankful for the bread in the oven, and the hands that have learned to make it. I am … Continue reading
Sprucing up the house
In a bout of unprecedented domesticity, we spent part of our weekend in Homebase. Coming home after such a long absence has been a blessing and a curse. I feel a renewed sense of purpose and focus now my life has been thrown into rather sharp relief. But I also spend everyday surrounded by the … Continue reading
Platters of wholesome goodness
It is a bright, stormy day and my head is full of heavy things. And while I want to believe being all grown-up, facing these things head on, and standing up for what I believe in will always turn out for the best, I need a mini-hiatus. The kind made of toasted crumpets and fuzzy … Continue reading
Que Sera Sara? 