This year will be a different Christmas for me because I’ll be around 8 months pregnant. I won’t be worried about putting up a tree (too hard!) or the usual traditions, so much as looking after my health as I reach the final stages of one incredible journey. As the process ramps up, the biggest physical symptom for me to date has been heartburn or … Continue reading New year, new community
The thing about being pregnant after a long time of thinking about it, is that there is so much going on in your brain. As well as in your uterus. But maybe there is a lot going on in every pregnant brain? I wasn’t prepared for the information overload to which pregnant women are subjected. It’s like trying to learn a new language and how … Continue reading The pregnant brain
Recently I heard the word ‘matrescence’ which means the process of becoming a mother. There is a new book about it, exploring the complex physical and emotional changes experienced by mothers that are rarely vocalised. In a similar way to adolescence, matrescence in all senses doesn’t happen overnight. Instead it is a process involving different stages of learning, adapting and evolving. The idea of matrescence … Continue reading The mother of all new experiences
I haven’t written here for a couple of months but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing! I decided to try out a new publishing platform called Substack. It allows you to create email newsletters and build a list of subscribers who are interested in reading your work. The part I find most interesting is Substack Notes, a bit like a Twitter feed for writers … Continue reading Just keep writing
I’ve been trying on dresses, a fateful moment in any woman’s life. To pull an old dress out of your wardrobe, you have to be in a strong frame of mind. Because soon you’ll face the test – does the zip go up? Does it sit like it used to or get stuck somewhere along the way? Are you going to be able to wear … Continue reading If it zips…
I’m watching and greatly enjoying a program called Shrinking on Apple TV. It’s about a psychologist / therapist who is going through difficulties in his own life and becomes much more direct with patients as a result. What if instead of listening to them going round in circles and never taking action, he just tells them what to do? What if he intervenes directly in … Continue reading Why don’t you just…
This is my 80th blog post. 80! I started writing on a Friday evening as the sun set outside the window of my flat. The view is of the tall plane trees around the development, and beyond that the houses in the street. When the sky explodes with colour, it’s a really lovely outlook. Sometimes I’ll be coming to the end of a day’s work … Continue reading The Four Thousand Weeks List
I came across my article from 2018 about changing my surname. One of the great things about writing is it captures how you feel at a point in time and provides a useful reference for the future. 2018 was a reinvention and reboot phase for me, as I started out with a new identity, in a new home and with my newish freelance business. These … Continue reading Belonging
Reflections on 2022 with ups and downs, and looking forward to 2023 with hope. Continue reading Warm and cold
A personality quiz identified me as a dreamer, ‘the quintessential idealist and romantic’ who might have trouble taking practical action. This served me well in youth where I’d be imagining myself anywhere else than the grey and prison-like high school. I loved exploring possibilities, flicking through pages of university brochures and imagining myself with my new found tribe. It’s the driver of my action in … Continue reading Dreams
