Putting the happy in happy Halloween, I take a look at how I can reduce plastic waste and the other things I should consider this year.

I asked for recommendations for local authors, here’s who follow Edinburgh book lovers recommended!

Healing is not linear. It’s not easy or straight forward. Here’s how I feel right now about my journey to recovery.

I love freebies and I love finding good, reliable tools and apps that will make my life easier and my work more creative. Here’s a list of a few of my favourites!

Thanks to all the different shows on Netflix I’m working my way round the different countries in Europe. Why? Well as I spend so much time at home (thanks M.E.) and I’ve been enjoying discovering new shows from different countries, why not! It’s certainly way to make sitting in watching TV feel more like a challenge!

I’m not one for doing nothing but with health issues I’ve had to change the way I approach things. This post is about some of the challenges I’ve set myself; how I found my way of transforming my everyday activities into something fun, rewarding and a little bit different.

Described as engaging, magical and thoughtful, this is story for those who truly love stories….especially fairy tales and fables. A book filled with adventures, beasts and heroes, this is exactly what bedtime stories should be about.

The Cows | Dawn O’Porter

“COW n. /ka?/ A piece of meat; born to breed; past its sell-by-date; one of the herd. Women don’t have to fall into a stereotype.”

If you haven’t guessed already, I love a good challenge. So I’ve set myself a new one for the year ahead. This year, along with a colleague, I’m going to learn a new piece of sign language each week.

My plan is to post a video of my new sign on Instagram and share it here, building up a collection of phrases. Wish me luck!

It wasn’t exactly planned but I’ve ended up having a bit of a winter hibernation, and it’s been fab.

This year I’m following #DDRRreadingchallenge from Dance, Dance, Ramble, Ramble. Read the prompts I’ve chosen, the books I’ve selected and my thoughts on them.

Mostly as a reminder to myself to take care of myself this month, I’ve made a self-care Christmas. Click on the images below for some ideas on how to have a #selfcarechristmas and remember, as it’s all about self-care it’s really up to you to pick what works for you so feel free to swap days, interpret the ideas to fit your needs or make up your own. Just remember that self-care isn’t selfish and as the hashtag says, #selfcarematters.

if you know someone like me with ME or a similar chronic illness where the person you're shopping for may struggle with fatigue, mobility or pain or where they may not cope with leaving the house much (or at all) you may be at a loss of what to get them as a gift.

Here are some ideas will at least give you a little inspiration when it comes to picking out the perfect present.

I’m not sure if you’ve seen those photos online of books wrapped up in brown paper with a description on them? The idea being that buyers literally “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” but instead choose a book based on what the person has said about it. We'll that’s what I decided to do with a group of friends at a recent afternoon tea, book swap.

Looking for ways to reduce your plastic waste? Here’s a directory list of all the things I’ve tried along with lots of recommendations from friends and others trying to do their bit.

Back in June I wrote about some of the changes I’d made to reduce my use of plastics and now it’s time for another look at the changes I’ve made, small changes I hope will have a big impact!

Last summer was when I had to admit that my ME flare up was actually pretty significant and I needed help. So at my ME anniversary, what have I learnt about myself and life with ME?

You can't fix everything all at once. Sometimes you've just got to take it one step at a time. 2018 was going to be the year of zero plastic for me but 6 months in, what have I learnt & is it making me happy?

I’ve tried a number of different techniques to help clear my head when I'm troubled, or to work through a problem when I'm feeling overwhelmed by it. Here I've shared what’s worked best for me. They won't be right for everyone of course but I hope that there's at least one or two which might work well for you.

You know, when you assume "everybody else" is doing fine, "everybody else" has got it all together and "everybody else" knows exactly what they are doing? Well, it turns out I'm actually more like "everybody else" than I thought (and I don't have a clue!)