Sep 16, 2023
My Super Surfers in Devon!
This summer, we spent a glorious couple of weeks in Devon and Cornwall, exploring the moorlands and valleys of Dartmoor National Park and...
Apr 26, 2023
"I Love You" -A Birthday Performance by My Super Six!
It was my birthday this month and Ruby and Lyla were due to be home for their university spring break. However, Ruby had to leave early...
Aug 30, 2021
Ivy's 1920's Birthday Party!
It's taken me a very long time to write about Ivy's 11th birthday party in November 2019; the end of her birthday always signals the...
Aug 20, 2021
Lyla and Mia Singing for George's Birthday
I was scrolling through my phone today when I found this video of Lyla and Mia singing I'm Yours by Jason Mraz for their Daddy's birthday...
Aug 20, 2021
A Painting by Ruby for the Thrive Senses Office
In my last blog post, which can be read here, I wrote about the amazing painting of Goddess Haumea which my eldest daughter, Ruby,...
Apr 28, 2021
Goddess Haumea -A Painting by Ruby
One of my areas of deep interest is positive psychology, a branch of psychology dedicated to the scientific study of what makes life most...
Apr 22, 2021
Purple Island
I want to say a little bit about my absolute favourite spot in Qatar: Purple Island. It's about a 50 minute drive from where we live in...
Apr 21, 2021
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
It was my birthday on Sunday; my second birthday spent in a covid lockdown. However, it was absolutely perfect from beginning to end and...
Jan 18, 2021
Our Park Days!
Here in Qatar, we’re still doing part-time homeschooling due to COVID regulations. Although it means I’ve had to put a lot of my work on...
Nov 2, 2020
Our family Halloween Movie 2020: Da House of Peng!
We love making Halloween movies! Our recent creation, Da House of Peng, is the result of a combined family effort over half term last...
Oct 16, 2020
Madam Deleena Reads My Book!
I was absolutely delighted to find this reading of my children's book, Perfectly Different, on YouTube! I love Madam Deleena's...
May 9, 2020
London, Lagos, South Wales, Paris 2018 -with Video!
I was just going through some videos and realised I never posted this one on my blog! My husband made it on his phone after our epic...
May 9, 2020
London, Mallorca and South Wales 2019 -with video!
Last year, we enjoyed a dreamy summer in the UK and Spain. We landed in Heathrow and spent a few nights in Chiswick, our favourite...
Mar 19, 2020
Mia's 14th Sumo Wrestling Party!
I do love organising a good birthday party! Our lovely Mia Cinnamon turned 14 on November 4th, and at first we struggled to come up with...
Dec 17, 2019
Our Beloved Dog, MJ
Our beloved MJ died on October 15th and I was absolutely heartbroken :( In 2009, when we were living in Fiji, we rescued a pregnant dog...
Sep 25, 2019
Pre-Loved Fashion
Question: What do all the dresses I'm wearing in the pictures above have in common? Answer: They all came from Charity shops in the UK...
Jun 28, 2019
I Got Certified! Plant-Based Nutrition
I really enjoyed studying this course in Plant-Based Nutrition. It's offered by Cornell University, in conjunction with the T. Colin...
Jun 14, 2019
My Children's Book: Perfectly Different!
I'm delighted to say that my children's book, Perfectly Different, has been published by Penguin Random House and is now available in all...
Apr 4, 2019
Random Acts of Kindness Make the Word Go ‘Round!
I was really touched by a stranger’s random act of kindness on Monday. My thirteen-year-old daughter, Mia, went to Mooyah restaurant...
Nov 11, 2018
Eating Vegan in London
When I reminisce about our summer in London, it’s not the vibrancy, the architecture, the events, the museums, the art galleries, the...
Sep 27, 2018
Rediscovering London!
At the end of 1998, I left London to spend Christmas with my Mum in Fiji, with the intention of returning a month later. I never did...
Sep 17, 2018
Creating Your Own Bubble
It’s been on my mind to write this for a while because I’ve been reflecting on it a lot recently. When you have children, and especially...
Mar 11, 2018
Thinking of My Mum on Mother's Day
It’s Mother’s Day today in the UK. Here in Qatar, it’s quite unlike the UK, where TV ads and shop window displays offer constant...
Nov 1, 2017
Our Halloween 2017...With a New Movie!
I love this time of year. Getting into the Back to School routine after the long summer break is always a bit of shock to the system. Our...
Oct 24, 2017
Our Halloween Movies -So Far!
With Halloween fast approaching, I thought I might share our family Halloween movies, for your viewing pleasure! In this Halloween movie,...
Oct 23, 2017
Ruby's Fairies in the Forest party
If there are three things that I really love doing, it’s spending time with my family, being outdoors in nature and organising my...
May 14, 2017
A Touch of Poetry
I love playing with words and marvelling at how a simple, carefully considered composition can evoke so much feeling. There's a real...
Jan 29, 2017
A Bit of DIY: Pallet Shelves
I do love a bit of DIY. There's something so fulfilling about creating your own unique, original furniture. So, when I needed some more...
Jan 17, 2017
My Newspaper Interview About Winnie The Pooh!
In case you didn't know, tomorrow is Winnie the Pooh Day! I was approached by the Gulf Times to do an interview about our family's...
Jan 16, 2017
My daughters: Black Belts in Taekwondo!
Last month, my 11 year old daughter, Mia, joined my 14 year old daughter, Ruby, and became a black belt in taekwondo. It was a momentous...
Jan 9, 2017
Christmas: Our Way
I love Christmas, I really do. I know I should have written this post before the much anticipated big day came and went, but I was so...
Oct 26, 2016
Sandy, Salty and Sun Kissed...
For me, a weekend when we don’t visit the beach is a weekend wasted. Here in Qatar, the summers can be prohibitively hot and the winters...
Oct 3, 2016
Marina and Ulay: The Silent Love Story
It was a beautiful moment. Performance artists Marina Abramovic and Frank Uwe Laysiepen, better known as Ulay, sat either side of a...
Sep 5, 2016
A Homebody with Wanderlust: An Oil and Water Mix!
I love travelling. I relish every moment spent soaking up new countries and cultures, taking in all the exciting sights, sounds and...
Jun 6, 2016
Crazy for Cats
It’s often presumed that people fall into one of two categories: You’re either a cat person or a dog person. I’m both. In fact, I’m an...
May 12, 2016
For the Love of Dogs
I’ve had dogs in my life for as long as I can remember. They’ve always been there, firmly cementing themselves as part of the family and...
Mar 23, 2016
Books, Books, Books...
One day, when I was a little girl in primary school, my classmates and I were reading individual story books when home time came and we...
Mar 14, 2016
The Radiant Appeal of a Sunburst Mirror...
I’ve always loved sun burst mirrors. They date back to France’s King Louis XIV, who was known as the 'Sun King' due to his love of its...
Mar 9, 2016
My Interior Picks...
I think creating a space that reflects your style and truly makes you happy to be at home, in a place where you belong, surrounded by...
Mar 8, 2016
My Favourite Singer -Bic Runga
When I was five months pregnant with my first child, Ruby, I was pottering around the house one day in Fiji when I stopped to appreciate...
Mar 4, 2016
Getting Hitched...
When I visited my mother in Fiji at the end of 1998, it was only meant to be a holiday, but when I went out one evening to see a blues...
Feb 26, 2016
A Little Bit of Painting...
I love painting. It’s the perfect way to channel my creativity, lift my mood and raise my spiritual vibration. Playing a few of my...
Feb 23, 2016
The Great Outdoors...
One characteristic that defines us as a family is our love of being outdoors, immersed in nature. There’s nothing quite so invigorating...
Feb 6, 2016
Stepping into a New Era...
After turning 4 in July, my twin boys, Oscar and Arlo, started school in September. I always knew this landmark moment was around the...