A story of sailing between two countries where the sight of land disappears far beyond the horizon — It’s not until you are out at sea in a little sailing boat, or even what appears to be quite a big one, that you suddenly realise the vastness of the ocean, and how tiny you are in comparison. I would not call myself a sailor in even the slightest…

The dumbest thing I have ever gotten into trouble over — I am a shoplifter. A thief. A low-down piece of scum. Those were the thoughts that swirled around in my head that day I was hauled into the manager’s office of the Asda Superstore in Southgate, North London, back in 1994. I was made to sit down in the chair…

No matter how good your writing is, it can still be an instant turn off — If you are new to blogging and online non-fiction story-writing, you may be making fatal mistakes with your writing. Whether you are writing for the first time or a highly experienced offline writer, everyone can find themselves facing the same challenge: That no one is reading or engaging with your…

What some may know, others may wish to know, and yet others don’t give two hoots. — Hey! Great to have you stop by ;) Pull up a virtual seat and I will put on the virtual kettle for a cuppa. I may or may not have yet read about you, but I guess this is where you get to find out all about me, so here…

Christmas presents take on a whole new meaning when trying to preserve your mental well-being — I have refrained from writing much about the things going on in the background of my life too much. For one, I don’t wish to dwell on things that feel “hard” and for another, much of what I am juggling here is not my story to tell. But I am…

When memories come flooding in through the front door — A rush of memories came through my front door last weekend. Fragments of my childhood, some of which I had no idea existed, came to stay. Now mine forevermore. My mother, clearing her home in anticipation of — one day — moving to a smaller, more manageable dwelling, brought sketches…

The cool crew had some great adventures this year — Dear Diary, Wow! What can I say but WOW? I can’t believe what a wild ride of a year this has been. …

Fun is the glue that has held our friendship together — It could have been a fabulous piece of luck, or perhaps divine intervention, when I first met my childhood friend, Devon. Devon happens to also be the name of the county I now live in but, at the time, we both lived in Oxfordshire. She was two and I was…

Perspective is a fine thing for turning a bad situation into a better situation — Parents of young children are some of the most overworked people on the planet. And, dare I say, mothers may have it just that little bit tougher than fathers. If for no other reason, because we often take on more of the responsibility for the children and the home, simply…