These are a few of my favourite things
kindness
sunshine
watching the sunrise
moss
petrichor (the smell after rain)
silence
solitude
meditation
long, long heart-to-heart hugs
rain on a tin roof
sitting beneath my apple trees
deep friendships
massages
beeswax pillar candles
heart-felt and deeply meaningful conversations
long, hot showers
Sun-ripened mangoes
thunderstorms
travelling and adventures (spontaneous and planned)
reading
jasmine essential oil
singing in my car
spending time with my loved ones
flowers: especially freesias, sunflowers, starflowers, jasmine and lilac
the rhythm of words
cloud watching
listening to my gorgeous husband sing
laughing till my belly hurts
cats and kittens
plant-based cooking and eating
my hands in the soil and sunshine on my shoulders
starlit skies
all the Moon’s phases
walking in nature
walking barefoot on grass or a sandy beach
birdsong, especially at sunrise
rom-coms
sitting by the woodstove
Mozart
learning
As a storyteller (celebrant and author) who shares other people’s stories, here’s a little window into my story:
I’m an Australian born to German-immigrant parents, who has lived in rural Cumbria for decades and still isn’t used to the cold weather. I was raised on 700 acres in Australia, and grew up on the back of a horse. It has been my life’s privilege to grow up alongside five brothers and two sisters (all of whom I still love and adore!). There was never any shortage of adventure in my childhood. The soundtrack to my life is the The Chicks’ song Wide Open Spaces.
My childhood bookshelves were stacked with books and to this day my home is held up with books. As a young girl, I not only dreamed of growing up and earning my living from playing with words but I planned to give all my childhood books to my children. Alas, moving countries six times put an end to that plan!
I’m happiest when out in Nature, whether walking through the woods, barefoot on the beach, or strolling across fields or hiking up a fell.
I love plant-based cooking, though I tend to cook as if our daughters were still living at home. My greatest legacy is the two daughters I had the pleasure of bringing into this world. To our delight, my husband Paul and I have the most gorgeous granddaughter. Home is a 300-year-old cottage in the beautiful Eden Valley, Cumbria.
A bit of a late bloomer, I earned my Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Cumbria in 2020. This was achieved without an undergraduate degree.
From the earliest age, I understood words to be sacred, indeed powerful, tools. It is a blessing that I’ve been able to use this gift as both an author and a celebrant. My life’s work is infused with a deep and profound love of the sacred: nature, words, ritual, home and family.
You can learn more about my work as an author, novelist, celebrant, celebrant trainer, retreat facilitator and hostess, inter-faith minister, psychological astrologer and Angelik reader here.
Why do I wear so many hats? I hope to leave this earthly life ‘fully spent’. 🙂
