MissElaineous

EQUALITY BEGINS AT HOME

EQUALITY BEGINS AT HOME
I don’t often write about current events. After all, I’m an archaeologist by training and it’s typically ancient history that makes me sit up and pay attention. But catching up on the recent two-part series “No More Boys and Girls: Can Our Kids Go Gender Free?” touched a nerve. As someone who worked for an organization that speaks about the importance of getting women to follow… View Post

NOW AND NEXT

NOW AND NEXT
If you want to enjoy a virtual tour of Ireland, check in with my Instagram or Facebook channels. I need a bit more than a 140 characters to describe them, so Twitter is out for now. Despite planning to slow down on the blogging, I ended up writing a rather massive response to the recent documentary “No More Boys and Girls:… View Post

THERE AND BACK AGAIN

THERE AND BACK AGAIN
There is something about being away on holiday that makes everything seem so simple. Maybe it’s the break with routine and habit: by getting out of my day-to-day rut, it offers fresh perspectives and new insights. Or perhaps it’s the chance to actually think things through without constant interruptions or attempting to tackle a never-ending to-do list. Or maybe it’s being in a new environment… View Post

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD

LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD
I found myself thinking of these quotes during the recent Crafts and Cream Teas event hosted at the home of Paul and Renate O’Donnell of  Wood’n’Things. Meeting them several years ago as we were about to move house was a complete accident, brought about by me falling in love with one of Paul’s lovely mirrors. Little did I know when we collected the mirror… View Post

A PERFECT 10?

A PERFECT 10?
In between our walk in Bradford on Avon and the following Sunday, I may have gotten a little overambitious. I thought it was time we looked beyond our charity shop guide to other walks in Wiltshire, and between Amazon and Waterstones I managed to put together a small collection of books with local walks. I even found one specifically for Chippenham, and that’s the one… View Post

WATCHING BIRDS

WATCHING BIRDS
I have to admit I still don’t like to use the term “birdwatcher” to describe myself.  I think it’s because of the connotations I’ve associated with it over the years. In my mind, birdwatchers are people who specifically go somewhere away to see birds. They have binoculars. They can get a bit obsessed with seeing the rare and unusual. They keep lists of what they… View Post

BRADFORD ON AVON BOUND

BRADFORD ON AVON BOUND
Walking is the number one national leisure activity in the UK, with over 9 million people reporting regular outings. However, “walking” doesn’t really capture the complete spectrum of what’s on offer. At the more extreme end are hill walkers, those who relish the ups and downs of the landscape. They typically own several sets of waterproofs, carry flasks of tea or coffee (and plenty of… View Post

SUMMER SOLSTICE STROLL

SUMMER SOLSTICE STROLL
As an American expat in the UK, the most common question I’m asked is probably “Where in the States are you from?” This is immediately followed by the second most common question: “Wow, Florida! Don’t you miss the nice weather?” To which I can honestly answer no. Don’t get me wrong: I do love blue skies and sun, the ability to wear a… View Post

BREATHING SPACE

BREATHING SPACE
Comic reprinted with kind permission of Mya Gosling.  Over the past year I’ve followed the career of Mya Gosling—the internet’s foremost Shakespearean stick comic artist—with interest as she plunged into following her passion full time. It’s been great to see how she has gone from strength to strength: creating products, carrying out invited talks, and keeping up with a demanding publishing schedule. More recently,… View Post

A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE

A STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE
I found myself thinking about Wales recently. You might remember this is where I escaped to carry out a digital detox last year, getting away from the internet for several days in order to clear my head and escape from the constant pressure of always-on connectivity.* Going through my writing from this time was a good reminder of the things… View Post

OBLIGATORY ADVERTISEMENTS

OBLIGATORY ADVERTISEMENTS
I’m afraid the blog is rather heavy on advertising this week. I have two shows on this month, so my mind has been completely taken over by all the prep work: hand-finishing the badges, magnets, and gift tags; designing signs; safely ensconcing greeting cards in cello bags (including hot-off-the-press sets of the Nature’s Rainbow collection); and, yes, advertising. So let me get down to it …… View Post

FINALLY!

FINALLY!
Some of the best illustrations of plants and wildlife can be found in 19th-century books of natural history. Prior to photography, engravings were the medium of choice to capture exquisite details and shading, enhancing the scientific record as well as educating the general public. The Nature’s Rainbow collection adds bold, contemporary colour to these classic designs to show both the… View Post

GIVE WEEDS A CHANCE

GIVE WEEDS A CHANCE
I’ve written previously about my love of what many people believe to be a common garden weed: the thistle. I find the flowers attractive and the bees are fond of them too, so that’s reason enough for me to let them grow and direct a very patient MrElaineous to mow around them. This year the more familiar purple spear thistle has… View Post

WATCHING SPRING

WATCHING SPRING
This Monday will see BBC’s Springwatch return for the 2017 season. This is one of the few television events I look forward to every year as it provides an opportunity to get an up-close-and-personal look into nest boxes and hedgerows, countryside habitats and coastal hideaways, and discover what the British flora and fauna is getting up to as the weather (hopefully) turns warmer. While the… View Post

HOMELAND

HOMELAND
For Valentine’s Day, I decided to give a whole new meaning to “swapping spit” and get my husband and I AncestryDNA testing kits. You send in a small vial of your saliva to the lab and in 6-8 weeks they email you the resulting ethnicities that are present in your DNA. I am still trying to get my head around… View Post

MIRACLE MORNING

MIRACLE MORNING
Many of the self-help and productivity books I’ve read over the past few years highlight the importance of a morning routine for getting the day off on the right foot. The idea behind this is that most people drift through their day, starting from the moment they get out of bed: from bed to bathroom, throw on some clothes, have some… View Post

BUOYED BY BLUEBELLS

BUOYED BY BLUEBELLS
As I mentioned last year, I am not in any way, shape, or form a morning person (although that may be changing … more on that next week). But the siren song of bluebells is enough to lure me out of bed every spring as the small patch of West Woods near Marlborough erupts into a sea of blue. During our recent travels… View Post

ROUSHAM WALKABOUT

ROUSHAM WALKABOUT
Blenheim Palace. Chatsworth. Stourhead. The honours list of top gardens in Britain seemed obvious. So it was with some surprise that MrElaineous and I watched TV presenter Monty Don award this title to Rousham Gardens, a property we had never heard of, despite it being located in Oxfordshire, just a stone’s throw from the mighty Blenheim. Which, come to think of it, is likely one of… View Post

Beneath the Surface

Beneath the Surface
At first glance, this photo may look rather dull. Or possibly even gross if you’re not a fan of insects. But it’s a great illustration of two things: 1) the fascinating lifecycle of the damselfly, and 2) and importance of garden ponds in providing a habitat for nature. Damselflies look like the smaller, skinnier cousins of dragonflies. They have narrow… View Post
MissElaineous Travel Blog: Escape, Explore, Discover, Enjoy