Summer Is Here

After the long winter of pandemic isolation, we have all been looking forward to the freedoms that easing restrictions and vaccinations will bring. Everyone in my house is a lot healthier than last year – though still taking it quietly, and looking after ourselves. As the spring warmed up, it was great to have some […]

Fife Coastal Path

At the end of April I spent a rare extra leave day with a dear friend, wandering the first section of the Fife Coastal Path from Newburgh to Norman’s Law. It was a warm-ish, rain-free day and we headed out just after school drop off. This was the first section of the path I had […]

Plant a Tree

Since reading The Overstory a couple of years ago, I have been haunted by the interconnectedness of trees, and the way humans have failed to value their essential contribution to the ecosystem we all share. This past weekend Possible hosted a live ‘At-home tree planting weekend‘ event. I joined in, and planted a little Elder […]

Macmillan Quiz Night

We’re into the seventh week of our second stay-safe-stay-home Covid-19 lockdown in Scotland. The borders and non-essential shops and services closed before Christmas and the children have been in homeschool again for five weeks. It’s been a long story…for another day perhaps…but Friday I celebrated my 50th birthday and began my 50 things challenge. I […]

50 Things for 50

These are the 50 things for my 50th year – a mixture of reinvigorating old hobbies, bedding in better routines, and having some new experiences: Creative Create a piece of art for the walls Learn to crochet Sew something for the house Bake a new cake Sew something for myself Make chutney Make something useful […]

Miss Polly the Dolly

Perhaps a little over-ambitiously, I wanted to make at least ONE gift this Christmas. Since Miss Mei wasn’t the happy recipient of any crafty items from me on her arrival, largely as a result of my working full-time and lavishing any spare attention on her brother in the gestation period, I felt compelled to remedy […]

Three Months New

This week we celebrate our little Mei-bug’s first three months with us – no longer a newborn anymore! We have had a lovely time getting to know her and letting her settle into herself. Autumn’s shortening days allowed us plenty of cosy quiet times to savour the snuggly delights of a new person who really […]

Our New Arrival

Introducing our little Mei. She joined us in the world on 17 September and is making herself at home with us. She is a very calm and content little girl whose only real dislike seems to be disrobing. She is also still rather cuddly and so far not that keen on sleeping anywhere but in […]

Our Schoolboy

In January, just as he turned four, we had the slightly agonising task of deciding whether Kazuo should start school this summer, or defer until he was five and a half. In England he would start this year as all children begin school in the academic year in which they turn five. In New Zealand […]

Summer Holidays

This summer has been rather amazingly gorgeous in Scotland. Following a delayed and very cold spring , the uncharacteristically sunny days were a welcome treat. After last year’s gloomy wet non-summer, we felt that the only thing that would make our Scottish existence tenable in future would be to escape somewhere sunny for a week […]