I’ve been Googling… ‘What’s it like to launch…’ The first thing that came up was ‘what’s it like to launch a nuclear missile?’ I have questions, so many questions… who needs to know this? Why? And is Trump being supervised when he is at the computer? The next result was ‘what’s it like launch into…
Despite what others might say, I am not a collector. I mean, you casually say that you like teapots and suddenly, every birthday and Christmas, it’s a teapot! Pink tea pots, red tea pots, vintage 70s matching tea and coffee pots. There was even an exquisite early 20th-century suffragette teapot, which, by the way, I…
Greetings, gorgeous ones. How has your week been? I’ve been visited by the Lady Covidia; throat scarred with razor blades, mind numbing fatigue and muscle aches that have left me winded. After a long weekend in bed, I was feeling if not better then less ill, but then my sense of taste disappeared, I felt…
Bore da Chickens, I know you weren’t expecting to hear from me today after all the drama about my flaps (really, that joke never gets old). I could get badges made, ‘Ask me about my Flaps!’ You know how I might have mentioned I’d written a book? You know the one with the fabulous…
The world feels scary right now, the threat of social division simmering, barely contained on our streets. With everything going on, I retreat to the calm of the garden to take stock. The early sweetcorn, tidied away now, was lush. The courgettes and beans were plentiful, the raspberries and tomatoes have been endless. With all…
Today is M.E Awareness Day I’ve forgotten that I am sick. Well, I say I’ve forgotten, but that’s not entirely true. I know it’s there. I can feel it in the shaking of my limbs, in the burning of my bones, the stumbling on the stairs. So no, it’s not that I’ve forgotten. It’s more…
I am a sick and disabled woman and I am dependent on disability benefits. I will not justify why I receive PIP. I will not explain to you the expenditure that I incur as a direct result of my chronic ill health. I will not list the things I have to spend more money on…
leedspostcards.co.uk Warning* This post refers to male violence against women. As a young woman, I had a poster of this postcard on my wall. I have embroidered it onto linen in green and purple threads, stitching words still depressingly relevant nearly 30 years later. How can that be? When so much has changed in the…
Brightest blessings for the season. Mid-winter is, for me, the perfect pause, a chance to rest and recharge. This year, struggling with my health, I’ve rested for the whole of December, getting writing work squared away so I can make time for nourishment, - a little yoga, a little knitting, - readying myself for…
I’m late, I’m late, I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been thinking about you. About this post. I miss chatting. Who knew writing a memoir would take up so much head space? Oh, and then there’s the bloody Mister demanding to know which cloth he’s meant to use to clean the windows, while my head is…
My daughter says she wants me to stop writing about her. This is going to be a short-lived blog. I didn't set out to write about my kids, or my dog, or my annoying husband but, write what you know and all that, and anyway, I can’t think of anything else. The great Sue Townsend,…
‘I’m off to Morrisons to collect my meds, do we need anything,’ the Mister asks? There was a time when a trip to Morrisons was all about a bottle of wine and a pizza, now it’s more likely to be a search for HRT and blood pressure pills. ‘Will you bring me something nice?’ I…
In a recent magazine article a woman was explaining that she'd been struggling with life. A difficult pregnancy while already having a toddler, she'd been working freelance from home, when the little one slept. Then new baby came along and feeding was hard and she had to go back to work early because they were…
I love a list. Without a list the things I think I have to do – more on that in a bit – drift out of my head, like balloons making a bid for freedom into a bright summer sky. Without a list I feel untethered, sure I should be doing something but not quite…
Happy New Year. I hope you enjoyed the festivities and have not landed back into dreary January with too much of a bump. Have you got any New Year Resolutions? As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not one for resolutions. I joke now that I can’t be arsed, and that’s true, but as a younger woman,…
In another part of my life I hold Women's Meditation Circle's. Meeting on the New and Full Moon we gather for an evening of meditation, guided visualisation and journelling. For the New Moon we meet outside, even in the winter, in a beautiful communal space, all of us bundled up with covers and cushions and…
Just wanted to say… ❤️❤️❤️
Okay, I know today's movie is Love Actually, but I find that movie problematic in too many ways to go into today. I will conseed the scene when Emma Thompson realises the jewellery is not for her, breaks my cold heart a little, but the rest of the movie leaves me with a shudder, -…
I know Wednesdays can be tough, espeically at this time of year with so much to juggle and balance but today I want to invite you take a moment to breathe. Stop what you are doing and close your eyes ( okay, read this first and then close your eyes) Close your eyes and take…
Oh my heart, this movie! I was a weird kid. I found other kids impossible to understand and the constant threats from parents, who wanted me to 'go outside and play,' when I was perfectly happy reading or watching old movies, was unfathamable. Weekends were spent sneaking off to the Library, having lied that I…
in case you are just joining us, or the titel doesnt give it away, every year to mark the run up to Yule I give a gift every day for 30 days. this year I decided to spam, sorry gift, anyone reading this blog with a past a day - cool, right! With that in…
Am I doing your head in? Has the whole 30 days of ‘gifts’ been too much? I know it’s a lot. I thought it was a good idea at the beginning, but I can see now that a message from me every day for a month might be a bit over the top. (just think…
So often we are told to be serious, to grow up, to let go of childish ideas and actions. Today I invite you to let go of all of that and just for today try to see the magic in the world. You are such a powerful, beautiful soul. Imagine what your world would be…
Each day as part of 30 Days of Giving I'll share a picture or a thought so you know I'm thinking of you. Drop a word in the comments if you are inspired to join me in giving gifts and sharing the joy. xxx
It's that time of year again. I can barely contain my excitement. My mind working overtime to come up with this years plan. I wrote to you last year about 30 days of giving. Don’t tell me you don’t remember! ‘The idea is to give a gift to someone every day for 30 days. It…
It's my blog-aversary and coincidentally this is my 100th post. Two whole years writing to you, and I don’t even get a card! I told a friend that it was my blog-aversary and she looked at me sideways, ‘God, do you still have anything left to say?’ It sounds worse than how she meant it.…
I am not very good at not being good at a thing. Do you know what I mean? Like, I know we all have to start somewhere, learning something new. But I would rather learn and be rubbish in the privacy of my own home, only sharing learning with others when I am good at…
The great knitting monstrosity is nearly complete. What is this monstrosity, I hear you ask. Surely, you Maya, the keeper of taste and refinement, are no creator of monstrosities? Well, monstrous is in the eye of the beholder and while this is a very pretty project it did kinda get away from me. It was…
I have too much on. It may not seem like a lot to many of you, but it is too much for me. There is writing, of course, writing this my priority, our weekly little one-sided chats. And of course, there is the puppy, who is settling into a routine – not my routine –…
Spring is here, despite the inclement weather. With it comes the endless dance – do I need a coat or sunblock or a balaclava? Is it too hot/ too cold to put the delicate seedling out in the garden, a sigh of relief as the dining table-come-potting bench is free of clutter if only for…
When was it that we were convinced that pants and vests weren’t cool? We wore them as kids, comfy pants with days of the week on them – a nightmare for neurodiverse kids, unable to cope with the incongruity of Wednesday’s pants on a Friday, even if they are the only clean pair. So, when…
What new horrors face me this week, in this world where I cannot quite see everything? What new joys does menopause bring, along with a powerful urge to tell the entire world to Fuck Off or eat my body weight in Malted Milk biscuits? This week, it seems, we need to talk about hair. I’ve…
The dog died at the beginning of December. There was an accident. It was quite sudden. On the Monday she was fine. On the Thursday she died. I am heartbroken. Now over the initial shock of it all, I am left living without a dog. There is a silence in the house, no not a…
All the fuss is over. The tree is down, and the kids are back to school. I’ve cleaned the living room – seriously how does the house get so dirty? And how do you not really notice it until you start to clean and then all you can see is filth? Sorry I digress. It…
I’m not a New Year’s Resolution kinda woman. I used to be. I can still feel the distant call of the ‘I must lose 100LBs this year,’ but I silence it with another Ferro Roche. Some years I hear the distant thrum of ‘I should do more exercise,’ or the pull of ‘I’ll swim the…
Don't be missing from your family Photo's.
I treated myself to one of those beauty advents boxes. In true working-class fashion, I need to tell you that I had a voucher, and there was a deal, so it hardly cost a thing – why do we do that? If someone compliments my dress I have to tell them that I got it…
Oh, my days, I am so excited! It’s begun! It started yesterday! Oh, I can’t tell you how excited I am! (I know that’s a lot of exclamation marks, but this is exciting!!!!!!!!!) I look forward to this every year. Planning as the summer ends, by now I have reached a fever pitch of giddiness.…
Bordering Grey 