I’ve never been a swimmer, but I’ve always loved the water. I tend to dip my toes in slowly to check the temperature then inch-by-inch…
I decided quite some time ago that I was ready to date again, though I admit to not actually doing anything about it. It’s not because I secretly don’t…
The alarm clock is set for 7 o’clock, but something has woken me at 6, stirring me from a pleasant dream that I want to…
“You will feel better than this. Maybe not yet. But you will. You just keep living, until you’re alive again.” I heard this quote the…
I was born 40 years ago today. It was a Thursday and I like to think that it was a day of great celebration. I…
Today is the last day of my 30s, so it seems appropriate to reflect on the decade in preparation for the start of my 40s.…
A year ago, I was excitedly talking about applying for PhDs and how I wondered how I would ever afford to actually study if I was accepted somewhere. My…
Way back on 6 February 2002, my friend bailed out on a day trip to St Andrews. With nothing better to do, I decided to walk…
[De-can’t-ing is part of my desire to “prioritise me” during February.] I can’t. You can’t. We can’t. But why can’t I, you, we? Maybe it’s not because…
This is a hard post for me to share because once I say it I have to follow through with it. But here goes: I…
When I wake up tomorrow it will be February; the shortest month in the calendar year and my birthday month. Yes, by the end of…
(Updated September 2020; see the end of the post.) I was halfway over the Atlantic when I moved my wedding rings from my left hand…
If you asked me what my perfect man looks like, I couldn’t describe him. I imagine he’d be taller than me and I’d like to…
It’s been more than four years since my husband died and I’ve yet to enter into a new relationship. I’ve now had four first dates…
Tucked away in a wee close off of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile is one of my favourite museums in the city. It’s the Writers’ Museum in Lady Stair’s Close and even though…
It’s a new year, so it’s time for a new me. OK, not a new me, but hopefully an improved me. Yes, it’s time to…
As 2013 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the year’s ups and downs. I’ve been thinking about the good points and the…
Last year, I shared with you how I was preparing for a Christmas at home alone. I was home alone by choice, but it was still…
Forward: I am sharing this story here because when I was looking for personal accounts from women who’ve found breast lumps that turned out not to be…
My apologies, I seem to be in a poetic mood today. I believe…By Just Frances I believe in so many things.I believe in so many…