Writing is something that has always captured my interest. At the tender age of 10, I won my very first award, ever, for writing a short story, complete with very childish drawings to emphasize the things that I thought were the important bits.

Since then, I have written to document for others, and written to document for myself. Writing helps me capture and cement my experiences, in glorious detail and colour. And I am so fortunate to have a few people in my life that enjoy what I write and keep asking for more.

I have contemplated writing a blog for more years than I care to think about, without taking action other than to collect and read a vast number of ‘How To’ articles on the subject.

This year, my amazing husband gave me the perfect Christmas gift – a blog site. He loaded it with some of my latest travel writing, emails to family and friends really, and took the time to learn enough about WordPress to get me started. His inspired and personal gift was the nudge I needed to just start.

The birthplace for this blog is travel and photography, yet there are so many other things to share to talk about. I love cooking, and wine and have spent many hours perfecting an Old Fashioned. I knit a lot, though slowly, and mostly hats (that may or may not fit) or things that are flat, because let’s be honest, they are just easier. I have been a runner for many years now, starting with a sprint triathlon 14 years ago and evolving into a regular diet of 10k’s and half marathons. My night table has a too tall stack of books waiting to be read, and my iPhone has an app with a growing list of shows to watch. Lately, I thought I might take up sashiko and starting chopping up an old pair of jeans. For Christmas, I made clay tree decorations for my friends… I think you get the picture.

There is just so much to do and see and taste and experience – I will have to live to 100 to even come close.

So welcome to my site and my very first post. It is, indeed, the amuse-bouche of what I hope will be a fun and entertaining blog about all the things I do, and think about, and yearn to do.

The fact that you are even here, and reading this, is the first miracle. I would love to read any comments or feedback you may have. Please feel comfortable adding them; we really are all pretty much family here.

A few quick tips:

New posts can always be found here, “Just Hatched”.

As I collect more posts, you will be able to find the older ones on “Pack a Bag” if you are interested in the travel updates. or “No Suitcase Required” for posts on other subjects.