-
What to do in Wurzburg on a Cruise
While many cruise ship tourists who visit my city go on a guided tour, a few intrepid adventurers decide to go it alone. For these folk, I’ve put together a list of the best things to do in Wurzburg on a cruise. This post aims to give you a walking tour that you can do in a day easily, taking in the main tourist attractions, while giving you some insider tips of what to see in Wurzburg. You probably won’t have time to visit all the attractions on this list, so choose the ones that you want to see and wander past the others. Cruise Ports in Wurzburg Let’s set…
-
Tour Scotland in Two Weeks
My German friends, family and colleagues often get in touch when they are planning a trip to Scotland. “Where should I go?”, they ask. And since I’ve answered this question many times before, I thought it would be good to write down my ultimate Tour Scotland in Two Weeks Itinerary. There’s no way you can see in Scotland in two weeks, so pick what most interests you from the links I provide. I’m tailoring this to the places and activities that I think will most appeal to my overseas readers and that you’ll not find in every tourist guide. This is based on personal experience and so totally subjective! I’ll…
-
10 Tips on How to Love Expat Life
When I was 19 years old, I left my homeland to live in a foreign country. For a year, I said, to work as an au-pair. Then I met my husband… on my very first day in Germany, but that’s a whole other story! 25 years later, I’m now back in the place where my adventure began, in a small town in Bavaria. In the intervening years, we’ve moved home 8 times, with four international moves and we’ve gathered a whole lot of experience. Here are my top tips on how to love expat life.
-
What You Need to Know Before Moving Overseas
‘Steve and Mary from Nuneaton are following their dream, of buying and renovating a period property in rural France. The cottage we are showing them needs a bit of work, but we think that with a bit of updating, it could be stunning. Neither of them speak the language, but they came to this area on holiday last year, and fell in love with the natural beauty and the carefree lifestyle. Mary is an artist, and Steve is a graphic designer, and both hope to set up thriving home businesses in France.’ I quite like watching property shows, particularly A Place in the Sun, but usually spend the episode shouting, ‘NO! Don’t do it!’ at…
-
The Bombing of Würzburg
In my life I have lived in many cities and villages, but the cities I consider “home” are the twin towns of Dundee and Würzburg. I was born and brought up in Dundee, and have recently returned to bring up my children here. I moved to Würzburg in Germany when I was 19 years old, to work as an au-pair for a year. On the day of my arrival, I met the man who I would later marry, but that is a story for another day. Today, I am thinking of the upcoming 70th anniversary of an event that almost destroyed the city, but instead led to its re-birth. While the…
-
The Ultimate Expat Family To-Do List
Moving house is said to be one of the most stressful times of life. Moving overseas is even more stressful. Moving overseas with a family … let’s just say there will be tears, recriminations, doubts, regrets and the mother of all to-do lists. With the experience I’ve gained over the years, I’ve put together the ultimate expat family to-do list.
-
Dress Rules for Women over 40
Another summer, another list of rules for women on what they should and shouldn’t wear. From the ‘how to get a bikini body’ articles (top tip – buy a bikini, put it on your body, done!) to this incredibly stupid list of rules for women over 40 years. Here are my dress rules for women over 40. 1. Problem Zones I try to hide my problem zones. This is generally done by throwing a dish towel over the un-washed dinner dishes or shoving the ironing basket into a cupboard when visitors are due. If you have bits of your body that you don’t particularly like (and let’s be honest, most…
-
Inspiring Women – Dum Spiro Spero
“While I breathe, I hope” This morning Rebecca from Artemis Mindset asked a question on her Facebook Group. Which women inspire you? Inspirational … it’s a word that gets thrown around a lot when it comes to women. To inspire someone is to ‘ exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on‘ them. Millie Slavidou breaks down the word inspire: in = Latin prefix meaning ‘in’. spire = from Latin spirare meaning ‘breathe’. And suggests that we ‘think of it as a breathing in of ideas, or atmosphere, a filling with the air of imagination’. This was a hard list to write because I was conscious of the women who would not be…
-
Letting Go
You roll your eyes and I bite my tongue. It’s normal, I tell myself. She’s a teenager. She needs to detach. Still, it hurts my heart. ‘You may give them your love but not your thoughts’ I was the centre of your world. Your rock. Your oracle. You looked to me for answers. And now your gaze has turned outward.
-
The Problem with “As a Mother…”
When a sentence begins with ‘As a mother…’, it’s generally a bad sign. This rarely heralds an insightful observation, as Andrea Leadsom demonstrated. The discussion will continue around the political wrangling, but I wanted to pause for a moment and consider the idea that motherhood grants a woman anything other than the ability to cook meals one-handed while holding a wailing baby. As a Mother… I’ve changed. It would be impossible not to. The focus of my life has shifted, and the opinions and feelings of others need to be taken into consideration. I’m sure this is true for most parents, not just mothers. As a mother, I became aware…
-
Things Mums of Boys Will Know
I was disappointed with Netmums’ article on ‘Things Mums of Boys Will Know‘. As a mother of a boy and a girls, I know that most of these are silly, and a couple are just plain ridiculous.
-
New Years Resolutions and Regrets
Do you make New Years Resolutions? This year, I’m taking a leaf out of the book of Rebecca from Artemis Mindset Coaching, and not bothering. Or rather, I’m making changes but not thinking of them as NY Resolutions. [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]But… I don’t really believe in New Year Resolutions. We can do better than that. We can do better than signing up to a gym and going three times. We can do better than going 3 days cigarette free then just having the one. And we can do so much better than randomly deciding that January the 1st is going to be the start of a…
-
Kids are Scared of Fireworks? Prepare for Bonfire Night
For many, Bonfire night is eagerly anticipated and thoroughly enjoyed. Some younger or more noise sensitive children find it overwhelming, loud and downright scary. In the run up to the 5th November, start to prepare your child for the big bangs and whistles. Talk about Noise – and Make some Noise Talk about animals that are loud, and those which are quiet. Play at being quiet as a mouse, and loud as a DINOSAUR. Get your child to ROAAAAAAAAAAR like a lion, and roar back. Let the child bang on some pots with a wooden spoon, and band the pot lids together. Think about getting the…
-
Secrets of Scotland – Mhorfest
This weekend, we travelled up to the Highlands of Scotland to Mhor Hotel, and their annual MhorFest. We’d intended arriving in time for the Raft Race on Saturday morning, but underestimated the travelling time on the wee roads, and missed it. All was not lost, as the festival was just getting underway. With free entry for kids under 14 years, it was clear that this was going to be a popular event with families, and already there were a fair number of people milling about.
-
5 Signs of Low Self Esteem in a Child … and What You Can Do About It
A guest post by Coach Rebecca Pintre, from Artemis Mindset Coaching, on recognising the signs of low self esteem in a child, and what parents can do about it. Self-esteem is the sense of worth a person has about themselves, the value they put on themselves. It is important to have a good balance of self-esteem and a positive yet realistic sense of self-worth. As a coach, low self-esteem is one of the issues I come across frequently. As a mother of two young girls I know that fostering good self-esteem in my daughters is one of my key tasks.
-
Dear 13 Year Old Me…
It is my daughter’s 13th birthday today. At last, she is a TEENAGER! She’s promised that she won’t suddenly turn into a stroppy, hormonal monster. Check back in a year to see whether she’s been able to keep that vow! I was thinking back to my teenage years, and what I would tell myself, if I could go back in time and give myself some advice.
-
Marigold – A Short Story for March Writers’ Workshop
For the March Writers’ Workshop The prompt I chose was, ‘Reluctantly, she let the flower fall from her hand, watching as it spiralled down’.
-
How to Make a First Period Kit
No, don’t worry. I’m not going to advise you to throw a First Period Party for your daughter. I can only imagine the sheer horror that my daughter would greet this suggestion. It is probably up there with ‘Mum-dancing with my guidance teacher at the school disco in an effort to get all the kids to dance’ on the 1 – 100 scale of embarrassment. Talking to kids about sex is an important part of parenting, and a part of this is talking to girls about getting their first period. One of the best ways to help your daughter prepare, is to make a First Period Kit.
-
What If…. A Guest Post for World Down Syndrome Day
A Guest Post for World Down Syndrome Day, by Emily
-
Review – Five Wounds by Katharine Edgar
My Goodreads Review of Five Wounds, by Katharine Edgar Five Wounds by Katharine Edgar My rating: 4 of 5 stars A gripping tale, that kept me awake into the wee hours, as I couldn’t put it down until I’d finished it.
-
“My Mum Reads My Texts”… Checking Kids Phones and eSafety
“My Mum reads my texts”, is the digital age version of “My mum reads my diary”. Did you write a diary when you were younger? If you did, you may remember the fear of your parents reading it, finding out all those private thoughts, spying on you. Then the similarity between the diary and the smartphone ends, because a diary is kept private, while social media and text updates are shared with others. Many parents worry about their children, and their use of social media and smartphones. Are they being bullied – or are they bullying others? Are they sharing information that they shouldn’t? Who are they talking to online,…
-
Secrets of Scotland – The Kingdom of Fife
It’s been a while since I wrote a Secrets of Scotland, so I thought I’d catch you all up on some of the glorious areas of the country I am lucky enough to call home. The suggestions on this blog are many, and you won’t be able to do them all in a day, so pick the ones you like best, and don’t forget to let me know the ones I missed! A lot of tourists land in Edinburgh and drive straight past Fife to head for the Highlands. Or if they visit the area, they drive to St Andrews, and then onwards. When we pick visitors up from the…
-
Talking to The Kids About Sex – Without Euphemisms or Embarrassment
According to Planned Parenthood, teens who had good, honest conversations with their parents about sex are more likely to delay sexual activity, have fewer partners and use condoms or other contraceptives when they do have sex. So how do we go about talking to the kids about sex and puberty, so that they are informed of the changes ahead, know how they can protect themselves, and how to react to the pressures from others? Without euphemisms or embarrassment.
-
Parenting Without Punishments
When a friend recently talked about ‘Gentle Parenting‘, or parenting without punishments or rewards, I will admit to first having to look up the term, and second thinking that can’t possibly work. After reading the list on this blog, I realised that I’d been practicing a version of this parenting philosophy, without knowing there was a name for it. There is no blueprint for successful parenting, and I wouldn’t say that I am an expert, but these are the tactics that have worked for me, and my family.
-
How to Write a Trip Advisor Review
I love a good Trip Advisor review. Generally I use them as an aid to finding hotels to avoid. Any mention of “hilarious holiday reps”, “fab poolside and evening entertainment” or “delicious all you can eat buffet with proper English grub!” tells me that I will hate the hotel, and should keep looking. Here are my top tips on how to write a Trip Advisor review.
-
Guest Post – My Make Up Day
A good friend of mine wore make-up last week. You may be wondering why that is worthy of a blog post, but you see Millie doesn’t wear make up. Not that she rarely uses cosmetics. She NEVER wears make up. She doesn’t own any cosmetics at all. She posted a photo on Facebook, and was debating whether to wipe it all off, when I suggested she leave it for the day and blog about the reaction of her friends and family. She has written about the word ‘cosmetic’ on her brilliant etymology blog here.
-
Review of The Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda Owen
I interviewed ‘The Yorkshire Shepherdess’, Amanda Owen for Jump! Mag this week. When we started talking about raising children, Amanda had some great thoughts on allowing kids to explore and develop, that I wanted to share here.Amanda loves the isolation of Ravenseat, the farm in the Yorkshire Dales, but is connected to the rest of the world via a satellite dish that provides the farm with an internet connection. She discovered Twitter and started sharing tales of her life in 140 character chunks, accompanied by stunning photos. Her chatty informal style was a big hit; she has amassed over 7000 followers and recently published a book.The Yorkshire Shepherdess is reminiscent…
-
Feminism and Motherhood – On Choice, Criticism and Self-Confidence
The organisers of Mumsnet Blogfest set the question, ‘Can Feminists be Mummybloggers’ at a rather volatile panel discussion yesterday. I won’t say much about the events of yesterday, as I didn’t attend, but did want to look at the feminism and motherhood issue. If you want to read a bit of the background, you can find a list of blogs on Louise’s post on this matter. This post is going to be a game of two halves, and if you like football, do follow the shameless plug to find out about Jump! Mag‘s search for an aspiring journalist to cover the UEFA U17 Women’s Championship Finals. An event such…
-
Review Big Cup Little Cup Nespresso Alternative
I recently received an email suggesting I review Big Cup Little Cup Nespresso alternative capsules. I don’t normally do reviews on the blog, but I was interested in this product so agreed to do so. They had discovered my blog post about the Nespresso machine, that I wrote quite some time ago, and asked me to try out their capsules. I was quite tempted to see the if Big Cup Little Cup coffee could take on the giant Nespresso. The Nespresso story is an interesting one. We often drove past the Headquarters and production plant in Switzerland, and while we lived there they seemed to be constantly growing and…
-
Restaurant Review of Forgans St Andrews
The town of St Andrews is world famous for many reasons – Scotland’s first university was founded here in 1413 and town is of course home to the game of golf. The oldest golf manufacturers, Forgan’s of St Andrews was established here. The former factory site of the club manufacturer, in the heart of St Andrews has undergone a spectacular transformation, with the opening of the restaurant Forgan’s in 2013. This review of Forgans St Andrews was not requested or paid for by the restaurant. A hidden gem, Forgan’s is located behind the popular Mitchell’s Deli on Market Street. The covered passageway is lined with pots of herbs, giving…
