That’s it folks: the buck stops here. Actually, I suppose I should say the pound stops here. Why? Because my last PhD stipend payment was today, and…
It has now been 12 weeks since I broke my ankle, and I’m pleased to say that I am well on the road to recovery. Sadly,…
Regular Just Frances readers will know that I have a rare bleeding disorder called idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). But what they may not know is that…
I need to start this post by saying that I know I am not overweight and I don’t think that I am fat by any…
My life was forever changed on the day I opened up my home – and my heart – to a young girl who needed me. The year that followed…
When you live your life without a partner, it can be lonely. Even if you fill your days with friends and acquaintances, it can be…
I attended a PhD workshop the other week. It was one of those touchy-feely things where they wanted to talk about coping strategies for balancing…
I had my annual kidney check-up a couple of days ago to see how Bob and Dave are coping with their inherited polycystic kidney disease. And I am…
It’s been more than three weeks since I was first stricken with a nasty little virus, and I am still on the road to recovery.…
With my birthday just around the corner, I am more aware than normal that I am getting older. I am ageing; I am becoming more…
I have decided to finally read “Happier” by Tal Ben-Shahar. It’s a book I acquired nearly two years ago, but I’ve never quite got around to…
I want to fly. I want to soar into the sky and touch the Heavens. I want to reach all of my goals; I want to…
The holidays are here again, and that means I’m facing an extended period of holiday hush. “Hush” because, like most years, I will be spending Christmas…
Some days, I think about how lonely I am, and about how I want to find someone to share my life with. I think about…
For nearly two years now, I’ve been experiencing an extreme amount of stress. Some days and weeks have been harder than others, but there hasn’t…
I want to have adventures. Ideally, I want to have some of those adventures with someone I love. Or at least I’d like to have some…
For the last six years, I have experienced a wide variety of what I call “widow dreams”. Some are more upsetting than others, but they…
I rolled over this morning in a sleepy haze to snuggle up to Paul, sure he would be there lying next to me. But he…
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…