January Encouragement and Inspiration As I write this, I am sitting in my cosy study looking out at frost-coated branches and frozen spider webs that look like works of art. The sky is heavy with cloud, but it's bright and there is a glint of sunshine peeking through, making everything sparkle. We are nearly half way through January, a month that for those of us in the northern hemisphere can be quite gloomy and cold, so these sun-dappled days are especially precious. Those of you in the...
23 days ago • 4 min read
Are You Excited For the New Year? I hope that this newsletter finds you enjoying the holiday season and looking forward to a fresh start. As we welcome a New Year, there’s often a sense of pressure to have everything in place—lists organised, resolutions set, and a clear path ahead. I like the idea of starting the year with a plan, but it's perfectly okay if you - like me - will not have all your goals and aspirations in place at the stroke of midnight on December 31st. We need to take our...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Happy Twixmas! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! If you are celebrating Hanukkah, I'm sending warm wishes and I am wishing everyone a very Happy Twixmas! I want to thank so many of you who have left comments on the website or reached out to share your successes with my Christmas recipes, I love hearing from you all and it makes me so happy to know that my family recipes are becoming part of your family traditions as well. Christmas Leftovers Are you struggling to make the most of your...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Happy Week Before Christmas and Hanukkah! Are you ready for the holidays? We expect an awful lot of ourselves at this time of year. We take an ordinary month that is already full of home, family, career and social commitments and add two or three times as many tasks and activities into the mix because of the holidays. Then, if we do not get everything done or we feel overwhelmed or exhausted, we feel we have failed or get upset with ourselves. It's time to treat ourselves a little more...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Welcome To The Cosy Season There's a hint of promise in the air this time of year, a sense of anticipation as we head towards the holiday season.Not feeling it? Darker mornings and earlier sunsets combined with less than perfect weather can make it hard to get in the spirit of things. I always try to reframe this time of year as "the cosy season" and I hope this might help you too. Here are some of the ways I embrace this time of year, despite the less than perfect conditions. 1. Bring In The...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Enjoying Your Day Whatever The Weather... Writers and filmmakers often use the weather suit the mood of the characters. It is pretty rare for something amazing to happen under cloudy skies in literature or cinema. However, in my experience, some of the best days can be days when the weather is less than perfect. Although my heart sank when I woke to whistling wind and grey skies that threatened rain on my wedding day in March thirty-four years ago, it truly was an amazing day - and the...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Are you a creature of habit or is variety the spice of your life? The Vegetarian Society are encouraging people to "mix it up" for National Vegetarian Week this year (1 to 7 October) and although I am not a vegetarian, it got me thinking about how I feel about mixing things up in general. After much thought, I have decided that I like a little bit of routine delicately spiced with some planned spontaneity. Planned spontaneity may be an oxymoron, but it works for me. For example, surprise...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Happy September! This month has an air about it that lends itself to refreshing and resetting. It is the perfect time of year to nest, making our homes cosy and comfortable for the new season, as well as to practice a little self-care and get back on track with our goals and aims. This is true regardless of where we live, and whether September means we will be welcoming autumn or spring into our lives. So, in the spirit of embracing the start of the new season, whatever that may be for you, I...
5 months ago • 3 min read