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EmailHello summer and time to refill my creative well
Posted Jun 28 2019 in About Jen, England, Family, Holiday, Summer, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls, Writing
English Rose wrote her last exam this week so is now off school until September. My weekly ballet class and choir practice are on hiatus for the summer, and my neighbor’s peonies are blooming in pink profusion. And ever so slightly, my family’s usual routine has shifted into a slower, summertime mode. For me, summer […]
Read More...Remembering my dad…on Father’s Day and always
Posted Jun 14 2019 in About Jen, Family, Father's Day, Summer on Firefly Lake, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls
I’m about to mark my tenth Father’s Day without my dad. Although time has lessened the raw grief of his death, his absence is still and always will be a “hole” in my life familiar to all “orphaned children” no matter how old. I thought of Dad especially during the recent D-Day commemorations. Although he […]
Read More...Advice to my younger self
Posted May 31 2019 in About Jen, Ballet, Reading, Writing
On social media and elsewhere recently, many people are giving advice to their younger selves. Some posts are short and pithy (no major accomplishment without significant “butt hurt” is an especially topical one for writers!), but others are longer and thoughtful reflections about the meaning of life. Long or short, they’ve made me think about what […]
Read More...Fantasy to reality: No ‘rules’ for an engagement
Posted May 17 2019 in About Jen, Family, Marriage, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls
This week, Tech Guy and I marked the twenty-fourth anniversary of our engagement. In some ways, that special day seems like yesterday. In others, it’s a lifetime ago and that young(er) couple are like people we used to know, almost strangers to who we’ve since become. Tech Guy’s proposal was romantic and his words heartfelt. […]
Read More...“Death and taxes”
Posted May 3 2019 in About Jen, Canada, Family, Writing
Here in Canada, taxes were due on April 30 this year. As such, the phrase “death and taxes” (usually attributed to a 1789 letter by Benjamin Franklin in which he said they were the only two things certain in life), has been much on my mind. Multiple currencies and tax years As someone who both […]
Read More...Counting my blessings
Posted Apr 19 2019 in About Jen, Family, Friendship, The Cottage at Firefly Lake
The past month or so has been filled with what one of my grandmothers would have called “things sent to try us.” A viral infection for the entire family topped off with strep throat for English Rose. A broken tooth for me and multiple dental appointments for necessary repairs—including three weeks and counting when I’ve […]
Read More...Lost and found…
Posted Apr 5 2019 in About Jen, Family, Home
One of my dominant memories of English Rose’s primary (elementary) school years is of a constant search for lost items. At that time, she wore a dark-green school uniform, and I spent many minutes before and after my then day job sorting through an almost entirely green pile in her school’s lost property (lost and […]
Read More...Sightseeing, shopping snacking and more: Celebrating a mini vacation
Posted Mar 22 2019 in About Jen, Canada, Family, Travel
English Rose had a school holiday earlier this month so we spent a long weekend in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, forty-five minutes by car from where we live. Although we visit Ottawa every few months, it’s usually for medical appointments, brunch with family, or to visit a specific store. And then we go home again, […]
Read More...Celebrating grandmothers
Posted Mar 8 2019 in About Jen, Canada, England, Family, Friendship, Small town life, The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls
Earlier this week, English Rose bounced into the house with the kind of teenage excitement usually reserved for a meme, ‘tea’ (gossip between friends), or afternoon at the mall. “Look what Grandma J gave me,” she said, gesturing to the colourful bracelet on her wrist. “It’s from her trip. She brought back presents for all […]
Read More...My life in laundry
Posted Feb 22 2019 in About Jen, Canada, England, Family, Home
As you may have seen on Twitter, Tech Guy and I got a new washing machine last week. Not only did it mark a milestone in my complicated relationship with laundry but, and in a clear indication of advancing middle age, few things in recent years have brought me so much excitement. The wringer washer […]
Read More...The Latest News
- Jun 04, 2019: ‘What libraries mean to me,’ North Grenville Public Library, ‘An Evening at the Library,’ June 22, 2019
- Mar 29, 2019: Ein herzliches Willkommen an die deutschen Leser!
- Mar 29, 2019: Welcome to German readers!
- Feb 15, 2019: Penguin Verlag acquires German rights to Firefly Lake series
- Dec 11, 2018: Take Two Characters: Jen Gilroy chooses two of her favourite fictional people — Guest post, author Susanna Bavin’s blog
- Oct 12, 2018: Writing workshop for North Grenville Writers Circle
- May 29, 2018: All About Books — Guest post on Odd Socks and Lollipops
- Dec 18, 2017: My favourite holiday books as a child — Guest post, That Artsy Reader Girl, A Bookish Little Christmas
- Dec 17, 2017: How I find writing inspiration – Guest post, ChickLit Club
- Dec 16, 2017: My favourite fireside reads for the holidays – Guest post, Fresh Fiction
