One of the few failings of my undergraduate English Literature Course was that the creators of the syllabus interpreted English Literature not as Literature written in English, but as Literature written in England (or Ireland, Scotland and Wales.) To study American Literature written in English, you had to take a separate course in 'American Studies,'... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, I had A Bad Day. It was the day all of our worldly possessions (apart from a small car-load which we will take with us on our journey next week) were loaded on a van to be taken to Slovenia in advance of our move. Suddenly, I found myself beset by doubts: What if... Continue Reading →
Malaga Province passed into 'Phase 1' of the Spanish lockdown de-escalation plan on Monday. There are 5 phases to the lockdown plan, starting at Phase 0 which is the strictest regime, under which we had been living for the past two months. With each stage, quarantine measures are relaxed, enabling a gradual return to 'normal.'... Continue Reading →
I've always loved to travel. As a child, I used to think of myself as 'The Memory Collector,' taking something unique and memorable away from every travel experience. It's ironic, then, that I boarded my first plane at the age of 22! I think I've more than made up for lost time since then. I... Continue Reading →
The French Government announced yesterday they are imposing a two-week quarantine on anyone arriving from Spain, apparently in retaliation for similar measures imposed by the Spanish Government. Prior to that, free movement across Schengen borders was allowed, as far as I'm aware. This is a rapidly evolving situation, and transiting through two additional countries en... Continue Reading →
The date is set. The contract signed. My husband starts his new job in Slovenia on 1st July, and we should all be moved there as a family by then. Another new home. Another new country. Another new life. On The Move Again For my husband, the move will be a homecoming: a return after... Continue Reading →
Today, I'm stepping outside the normal remit of my blog a little, so feel free to ignore this post if it's not relevant to you. I very much want it to be relevant to all the ladies out there who, like me, are suffering from PMDD. I want you to know that you are not... Continue Reading →
I thought I'd do a lighthearted 'listicle' (!) today, to mark the fact that we Malaga residents are still in 'Phase 0' of the 0-4 stage Spanish quarantine de-escalation plan. Everyone anticipated the return of socially-distanced beer and coffee sipping on the sunny terraces of the Costa del Sol today, but alas the people at... Continue Reading →
Sunday was Mother's Day in these parts. A different date to the UK, not sure why, but any excuse to 'pamper' myself...I thought I'd treat myself with a trip to the trastero (self-storage)...to look for my beloved books. A Difficult Separation In our last 'big' move, from Barcelona to Andalucia, I had unhappily become separated... Continue Reading →
The secret of 'Poopy Thomas' is a parenting secret. A guilty parenting secret. I'm sure as 'lockdown parents' we all have some parenting hacks. Maybe some of them we're not entirely proud of. And my parenting hack is 'Poopy Thomas.' Who is 'Poopy Thomas?' He is, in fact, Thomas the Tank Engine, but not as... Continue Reading →
