Happy Birthday…to my blog!

A child’s first birthday is a special milestone. A whole year of ‘firsts’ culminates in one special day for family and friends to celebrate. I have that birthday feeling because 28 March is this blog’s first birthday. Every two weeks since March...

Thanking mothers everywhere

Sunday, 15th March, is Mothering Sunday in the UK. For Christians, it falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Historically, it was when people attended their “mother” church, and domestic servants were given the day off to visit family. Since I grew up in...

In praise of comfort reads

Like all writers, I’m a reader too. When I need to recharge, or am low in spirit, books are a great comfort. Over the years I’ve recognized there are books I always turn to. They’re the ones on my keeper shelf, which follow me from place to place, and whose characters...

The vanishing art of letter writing

When did you last write a letter? Or, a word I learned from Dictionary.com, when did you last epistolize? I’m not talking about sending an email, tapping out a text or posting on Facebook. When did you last put pen to paper and write a letter to a friend or family...

Books for planes and trains…but not automobiles

When this post goes live, I’ll be on my way from the UK to Grand Cayman in the Caribbean, via a layover in Toronto. Then it’s back to Canada, before returning to England a week later. Travel is a constant in my life, mostly for my day job. With long days,...