In the days before the internet, if we fancied a short break in the UK, we picked up a brochure from a travel agent. Dougie and I would choose somewhere based on one photo...
Walking along the Basingstoke Canal, Surrey

Fundraising for Neuroendocrine Cancer UK isn’t all about the exercise bikes, although our morning cycling sessions do make up the bulk of the mileage. As The Proclaimers sing about walking 500 miles and 500...
Fundraising challenge – Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now

Target: 1000 miles Current status: 400 miles As McFadden & Whitehead said so memorably in their 1979 disco classic – Ain’t no stoppin’ us now, We’re on the move! You’ll notice the yellow jersey...
Fundraising challenge – 500 miles and 500 more.

Although the Neuroendocrine Cancer UK Virtual Pathway Challenge began in June, Dougie and I arrived a little late to the party. He had seen emails about it before, but in his heart he wasn’t...
Fundraising for Neuroendocrine Cancer UK

In 2020, just before lockdown, my husband, Dougie, was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer. He had surgery and is having ongoing treatment. Thankfully, at the moment, his condition is stable and he’s feeling well. It’s...
Book Review: Mother Hens by Sophie McCartney

Creator of the social media phenomenon and bestselling book, Tired and Tested, Sophie McCartney’s foray into fiction is explosive. Mother Hens is a chick lit black comedy about recently-divorced Cara Carmichael. She escapes to Ibiza with...
The taste of Scotland: Dean Banks at the Pompadour and Dulse

When chef, Dean Banks, opened his first restaurant, Haar, in St. Andrews in 2019, one of the first bookings came from the cast of the hit TV drama, Succession. Filming in Dundee at the time,...
Mum’s Gone To Edinburgh: Glenlockhart Cottage

We stayed in Glenlockhart Cottage in November 2021. I must apologise for taking so long to write about this gorgeous accommodation. I wonder if I secretly didn’t want to share this gem, in case...