Helsinki Christmas Market

Helsinki Christmas Market

Life, Travel
Beneath the snowy steps of the city’s great white cathedral sits Senate Square, the location for Helsinki’s Christmas Market (locally known as “Tuomaan Markkinat”). This year the market runs from ... Read more
Valkohieta Beach, Finland

Valkohieta Beach, Finland

Life, Travel
Have you ever had a whole beach to yourself? On a hot day back in June, during my visit to Finland, my friend and I discovered we had an entire ... Read more
Jessie Wills Anderson

Jessie Wills Anderson

Etc
An unassuming gravestone sits in the village cemetery, no different to those surrounding it. It gives no indication of the lives led by those it immortalises. You would never know ... Read more
Gardenwatch: Misfit Dahlias

Gardenwatch: Misfit Dahlias

Life
Hello from a wet and windy Mid Wales! Long-term readers will know that I’m a bit obsessed when it comes to dahlias. I can’t pass one on a plant stall, ... Read more
Manchester Street Art – August 2023

Manchester Street Art – August 2023

Travel
Last week I treated my niece to a trip to Manchester for a few days. I knew the trip would mostly be about shopping, but I also wanted to show ... Read more
Tankar Island, Finland

Tankar Island, Finland

Life, Travel
The small but beautiful island of Tankar can be found in the outer archipelago in the south of the Bay of Bothnia. The island was inhabited as early as the ... Read more
Gardenwatch: Dahlias, Bees and Butterflies

Gardenwatch: Dahlias, Bees and Butterflies

Life
While the rest of Europe basks in the heat, the population of Wales and the rest of the UK is currently sighing at the rather wet and windy weather we’ve ... Read more
Postcards from Kannus, Finland

Postcards from Kannus, Finland

Life, Travel
Alighting from the Helsinki to Oulu bound train at Kannus, I arrived at my base for most of my stay in Finland. This sleepy Finnish town can be found in ... Read more
Postcards from Finland

Postcards from Finland

Life, Travel
Day 1 – Manchester to Helsinki I hadn’t flown in over 22 years and I hadn’t been abroad in over 15 years, so when I reconnected with a friend who ... Read more
Supporting Small Businesses: Galen Leather Co (Ad)

Supporting Small Businesses: Galen Leather Co (Ad)

Etc, Stationery
I have looked longingly at the products on Galen Leather’s website for a long time, so when they contacted me and asked if I would like to review one of ... Read more
April 2023 in Books

April 2023 in Books

Books & Films
Oh dear! I promise to do better! I read just one book in April. ONE! I mean, it was a very good one, but still. Life got in the way. ... Read more
More of Manchester Cathedral

More of Manchester Cathedral

Travel
Manchester Cathedral is much more than just its colourful, arty stained-glass windows. 2021 marked the 600th anniversary of the Royal Charter to establish the Collegiate Church of St Mary, St ... Read more
The Windows of Manchester Cathedral

The Windows of Manchester Cathedral

Travel
Manchester Cathedral, originally the Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George, has stood in place for hundreds of years, watching the rivers Irk and Irwell race by. ... Read more
March 2023 in Books

March 2023 in Books

Books & Films
I need to read a little faster or slow down the book buying (maybe a bit of both!). I bought more books this month than I had realised. Books Bought ... Read more
From Snowdrops to Snow!

From Snowdrops to Snow!

Life
It’s March and Mid Wales has finally got some snow! Luckily, I was able to work from home on Thursday and yesterday was my day off, so I didn’t have ... Read more