I mentioned a while back that my life was suffering because I was unable (and in some ways, unwilling) to set a few routines for myself. So…
Clutter is everywhere. It’s in our closets. It’s in our kitchen cupboards. It’s in our bathroom cabinets. It’s in our desk drawers. It’s in our…
I spoke the other day about the higher-than-normal levels of personal stress I’m experiencing, and that I feel I need a break from my current way of…
Life is hard these days and sometimes I wonder what my limits are. Sometimes I wonder how many more disappointments and frustrations I can manage…
I spent the day walking to-and-from Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, following the various closes, wynds, and steps as I went along. The initial inspiration came from a post on Healthy Edinburgh’s…
I think one of the hardest things about dating as a widow(er) is the guilt that comes along with it. Worse is that some of…
Dating is hard. Dating in your late 30s and early 40s is hard. Dating as a widow is hard. And trying to do all three…
From time to time, I get emails from people reading my blog. And today was one of those days. It seems that a relatively new widow, Lucy*,…
Astute Just Frances readers may know that today is my 41st birthday. And curious readers may wonder how I celebrated the day. So, that’s what…
Today is my last day as a 40-year-old woman. It’s the last day of what I had hoped would be an empowering and fabulous year of…
What do the words “you’re pretty” and “you’re wrong” have in common? I struggle to accept them! Compliments and criticisms are very similar to me in that way. Although…
I’ve decided to dedicate February to getting back into a good, healthy routine. The idea is this: If I can re-focus enough of my energies,…
Between yesterday and today, I’ve managed to get a bit of walking and sightseeing in. It’s been a great way to spend my first weekend…
Welcome to 2015! It’s a new day; a new year; a new opportunity for happiness and joy! And as always, I’m choosing to start the…
In addition to my general New Year’s resolution to be more optimistic and hopeful, I have set myself a few goals to reach over the year.…
The end of a year can only mean one thing: An obligatory end-of-the-year reflections post! At the start of the year, I had grand visions of…
Yesterday marked one calendar year since I matriculated as a research student in the Institute for Informatics and Digital Innovation at Edinburgh Napier University. It’s hard to believe…
Today’s journaling prompt was to write down five things I do to harm myself and to talk about what I can do to take better…
Yesterday’s writing prompt was to write “I am” ten times, then fill in the rest of the sentence. Today’s was to write “I want” ten…
I woke up at 6.30 on Sunday morning. The rain was dumping down like mad and I didn’t want to move. I didn’t want to…