I used to love putting my girls in matching dresses. They always seemed happy with it and I loved how it highlighted the fact that they were a pair – that they belonged together. It was one of the many things I really missed when Jessica died. Buying an outfit for just one child instead… Read More
Welcome to Country Kids. Country Kids, originally hosted by Fiona at Coombe Mill, is all about sharing outdoor family fun. It was one of the first linkies I joined in when I started my blog four years ago and helped inspire me to enjoy so many outdoor adventures with my girls and create happy memories.… Read More
“You brought music back into the house. I had forgotten.” I used to enjoy singing and performing. We were in the midway through rehearsals for a concert at church that my mother-in-law and I were organising when Jessica died. The concert was cancelled. We’ve not done one since. I found singing difficult and resisted… Read More
One of my favourite outdoor activities is looking for signs of fairies living in the woods. A little hole at the foot of a tree that surely must be a doorway to a fairy cottage. Little “elf hats” (acorn cups) discarded in autumn. Dewy webs on the ground – the remnants of a fairy picnic.… Read More
I had a conversation with an acquaintance the other day which went something like this: Them: “You look miserable today, what’s the matter?” Me: “Jessica’s dead.” Them: “Oh, is that all?” Me: Them: Me: “Yes, that’s all.” That’s all. Just a trivial thing really. Living with the suffocating weight of grief. Enduring life… Read More
#30DaysWild is a challenge from the Wildlife Trust to connect more with nature every day in June, joining in with “random acts of wildness”. This is our third year taking part and I love how it encourages me to get outside with the children more and to take a closer look at the world around… Read More
Since 2016, I have taken part in a daily gratitude challenge, sharing a photo of one thing I am thankful for each day on Instagram. There have been days when finding little things to be grateful for has been very easy to do and others when it has been incredibly hard. Life as a bereaved… Read More