The plan…another plan! is to sell the flat.  This is not a sad proposition since it has only been in possession for two years and was not the family home.  Far different from the masive undertaking we will face when it comes time to sell our home of 26 years in America. We have had…

Our hotel in Rome was about ten minutes from the Coliseum.  As we walked down to the main piazza our street became busier and busier with cars, people, outdoor cafes and trolleys. The fact that Vespas are the preferred mode of transport in this city also adds to the excitement on the roads. My daughter…

Join me today for an encore show where you will hear the second of a series of experts especially invited to help homeschool students plan for their future and choose a career that suits their individual talents and personalities.  Larry McNeny, aka my blue eyed cowboy, has agreed to join us for a cuppa and a…

The plan is to sell the flat. There have been lots of plans in the last three months that have fallen through so my faith in plans is not very strong at the moment. I was talking to my bff today, she is also my well heeled stranger from homeschooling, I told her the lack…

We were packing for Rome and the guide book cautioned us not to wear anything above the knee or sleeveless in the churches. Not a problem for me, my days of mini skirts and spaghetti straps are long gone. More of a problem for my daughter who likes to flex her muscles in the face…

Hedgerows date back to Roman times.  The Romans planted these thorny based living fences that make wonderful nesting places for birds while succeeding in keeping predators and prowlers out. Like old buildings, some of the hedgerows in Britain are protected.  If you are fortunate enough to have one enclosing a parcel of your land you…

We were eating a hamburger last night all on our own…unspoken memories of similar quiet meals, aka romantic meals, pre-children, danced around the table.  I didn’t talk about it because I didn’t want to remind us of the fact that this was our life now…no more distractions…at least not until one of them joins the…

The day has finally arrived.  What everyone was expecting to happen three months ago, happens tomorrow.  We’ve had so many questions about how our youngest daughter is doing at college and I’ve had to respond with, “She doesn’t start until September 12th.” Well, that’s tomorrow! Where did all the time go?  What did we do?…

We are in the process of completing “empty nest.” Soon all our children will be gone from our house leaving us to rattle around the wattle and plaster walls of our home, alone. They may no longer sleep under our roof but the nest still reverberates with their presence. They may leave and declare themselves…

My daughter entered my room this morning, beautifully made up, hair straight, her new baggy pants swishing around her ankles.  Her  perfume and freshly washed hair competed with the subtle fragrance of the garden roses on my desk.  She startled me, one minute the room was empty, the next it was pulsating with her presence….