I have a single weekend left in the USA. These three months have passed quickly and strangely. There were difficult personal things to deal with, as my husband dealt with the sickness and then death of his father. And I was burned out from two long years of stress, anxiety, bad news. There is no doubt that I was exhausted. When I first arrived I felt like I couldn’t get enough sleep, I...
The shape of a Life (The Vorkosigan Saga)
Three pieces to this: Firstly, I read a travel newsletter called about a trip to Istanbul. I have had a love-hate relationship to travel writing for a long time. The best travel writing utilises scenery to highlight aspects of personality, philosophy or history. The worst reads like an Instagram post sponsored by Sky Mall. This particular newsletter mentions Ukraine refugees and the presence of...
Initial thoughts on obsidian (Note taking tool)
I’ve recently started using Obsidian, and wanted to share my initial thoughts on this interesting note taking tool. Why start using Obsidian? One of my ‘projects’ I wanted to carry out during my sabbatical was a digital de-clutter and tidy up. I started with photos: I had over 20,000 photographs stored in my cloud photo account, most of them quick snapshots of food or things I...
Earn money on the side: Prolific
I’ve explored a lot of ‘side-hustles‘ over the years, from Fiverr to this very blog. Most have earned me a little bit here and there, but been a lot of work. However, Prolific (not a referral link) has been a steady earner for me over the past few years. How much do I earn on Prolific? I earn between £20-60 a month, depending on the studies that come up and how much time I...
The joys of job hunting
I’m currently on a sabbatical: spending three months in the USA with my in-laws. I’m extremely lucky to be able to leave my job knowing I have the savings to cover us while we prioritise family. However, I am mindful that I need to line something up for when I return to the UK and as such I’ve been poking around job websites and trying to figure out what’s next. Job...
Slow travel: give the universe a chance to smile
We have started our journey. I am a big proponent of slow travel. If I can take a boat or train instead of an aeroplane, I will. This is partly about the environment, of course, but it’s also to take the stress out of travel. What good is a holiday if the day before and the day after are spent stewing in stress? When I have to take an aeroplane–such as on this journey–I take my...
How to deal with a distractable mind
We are less than two weeks away from three months of travel, and my brain has been in overdrive. That’s understandable, but it’s been a long week where I have found it exceptionally hard to focus! And in the modern day, there are so many thousands of justifiable distractions that it can be easy to find yourself jumping about aimlessly. So, how do you deal with a distractable mind...
Valentine’s Day Gift guide (for people on a budget)
My Christmas Gift Guide for people on a budget was a hit, so I thought I would remake it for a new holiday! Introducing: a Valentine’s Day Gift Guide (for people on a budget). First up: the purpose of a valentine’s day gift is to show affection and love. You can do that without spending a single penny! The best valentine’s day gifts demonstrate a couple of things: That you know...
Website refresh: simpler & faster, with a little hint of cinnamon
Happy Friday folks! I am doing a little refresh of the website, making it a little simpler and a little faster. The layout is from ThemeForest. I wanted the focus to be on the content, and less on the graphics and wizzy bits and pieces. After all, you aren’t here to admire my logo, you’re here to receive my hard-won wisdom, right? I will also be refreshing a few popular posts over the...
Who is Green Party Women for?
Recently, a friend of mine linked the responses to questions at a Hustings for the GPW (Green Party Women) which sadly reflected a wider conflict that is tearing apart plenty of purportedly feminist groups. This conflict centres on the question what is a woman? It sounds like a simple question but like all deceptively simple questions about identity it contains a wealth of complicating and...
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