As it’s been 6 months already, and with my blog being introduced to new communities since it’s reset and relaunch earlier this year, I thought it’s the perfect time for a personal update. The long story short, for context: In January of 2026 I moved to France after living in the UK for 15 years. The last decade in the…
Welcome to the second week of the Chronically Hopeful 52-Week Art Project! This week, being week 28 of the year, we are being inspired by Summer Blooms. I’ll be sharing my creations for this prompt below as well as adding it to the gallery. Feel free to jump in anytime if you’d like to join me on this easygoing, no-stress,…
Welcome to the first week of the Chronically Hopeful 52-Week Art Project! This week, being week 27 of the year, we started with A Day At The Seaside. I’ll be sharing my creations for this prompt below as well as adding it to the gallery. Feel free to jump in anytime if you’d like to join me on this slow,…
It’s the weekend, time for another mini garden tour! The weather has got really hot this week, and it’s showing in the garden. Fortunately mornings on my terrace are still cool and refreshing as well as really late at night. So that’s when I’m spending some time outside, watering, etc. It’s just too hot in the day. It’s Been A…
One of my goals for 2026 is to create more art. In order to reach that goal, I’ve relaunched the Chronically Hopeful 52-Week Art Project. It consists of 52 prompts, one for each week of the year, to guide my creativity, keeping me focused and inspired. I’d love for you to join me! This project is great for people who…
Last week I found a lovely community of garden bloggers. They share 6 photos from their gardens every Saturday, so I thought I’d join in this week. It will help me keep track of my garden more regularly as well as getting to virtually visit many other beautiful gardens around the world. Plus, I get to chat about gardening with…
It’s now been over 75 days since I sowed the first seeds for my new balcony garden and today I’m sharing my little garden’s progress in the end of May garden tour! I hope you will enjoy a lovely stroll through my garden as I walk you through what’s currently going on. So get yourself a drink or snack and…
I’ve really been enjoying discbound journals in recent years. So much so, that this week I created 5 new ones! I find them so versatile because I can add or remove pages as and when necessary and I can move pages around if I change setup or need a page to be somewhere else in the future. I can also…
In recent weeks I have been slowly getting myself reaquainted with embroidery. When I was a teen I used to embroider quite a lot. I did cross-stitch, but also silk ribbon embroidery and more intricate stitching. I’d make bookmarks, padded book covers or coat hangers and cushion covers mainly. That said, I didn’t really finish loads of projects in the…
This month I’ve really settled into my new home and have finally started enjoying some of the hobbies that I’ve not had the space or energy to practice in literal years. So far I’ve resumed painting, drawing, embroidery and gardening. Last week I pulled out my paints, after organising my art supplies and desk in the weeks before, and got…
Before I even started gardening again, I knew that this time I needed to keep track of everything in a garden journal or folder. Somewhere I could jot quick notes and keep track of garden chores and plant progress. What worked and what didn’t. any lessons I learn, for future reference. These days you can find many types of pre-made…
I cannot adequately describe how excited I have been at the prospect of having a garden again! When we found this new home, with its lovely terrace, I immediately started dreaming up my new garden plans. It’s been almost 4 years without any outdoor space at all. My last garden was started just around the first lockdowns, you know the…
It’s a new year and with it comes a new beginning! A lot has happened since the last time I updated this website, and my life is dramatically different now. There have been lots of lovely positive changes, as well as scatterings of pain, health scares and heartache. I even moved house twice! But as always, I’m joyful and hopeful…
As I reach my 11th year anniversary of living with ME/CFS in April, I look back and celebrate all that I have overcome and all that I continue to achieve within the limitations of this condition. I preface this by acknowledging that I don’t think I would have been able to improve as much without the full and excellent support,…