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 […]

Growing

Hi friends. In the silent months since I last really told you about what we have been up to we have just been muddling through. The lethargy of growing another person has probably made for a rather dull time for the wee guy as I have not been up to much on the weekends since […]

Another Long Silence

The past months have really silenced me more than usual. Let’s face it, since I began to work everywhere…and thus to really use this space to reflect on how we filled the interstices of our abundant yet somewhat overfilled life and to keep those of our widely dispersed family and friends even a tiny bit […]