Adventures of Frangipan

tumblr_m9hxpqbt4V1qzihejo1_500 — I’m not a parent and have absolutely no intention to be, so I know I can’t really judge other people on their parenting skills. But I worry about my brother’s relationship with my nephew. James provides everything Marcus needs: shelter, food, clothes, school, glasses; some things we wants: books, toys, […]

Parenting

me-cat-and-dad — Me, Dad (d. 4 Dec 2012), and Catrin (d. 19 Feb 2012) I started writing this post almost 3 years ago, and for reasons now unknown to me, I never finished writing it. On 20 February (2012) I received a text from one of my best friends telling me that […]

Catrin Pickles: 26 May 1991-19 February 2012

I feel like I’ve become a sponge for negativity. Whatever I do, I upset someone, and they unload that onto me. I can only listen to what they say. I can’t defend my position because I’m not 100% sure about my decisions, whichever option I go with. So I spend […]

Take your hatred out on me, Make your victim my head

So if I give up mounted games training, what will I do? It is only fair to say that games is not the only reason I’m miserable at the moment. My job is not a career and is not something I want to be doing for too long: I need […]

The End of Me & Mounted Games?

26b2c0d53ccd0e984f7a0dc0cb280bbe — Thursday night is TV night. The Good Wife, Nashville, Southland. I know Southland finished ages ago, but I’m behind. And going to be gutted when it comes to an end. I love The Good Wife. It’s really well written with great story lines, it’s funny, serious, thought-provoking, and I love […]

3 Programmes to Watch on Thursday Nights

Write about your first name: are you named after someone or something? Are there any stories or associations attached to it? If you had the choice, would you rename yourself? Daily Prompt Francesca. I was in the hospital for 3 days with no name. Meanwhile my father was out and […]

Say Your Name

8faef55c1409984644d40552d8963d0e — I used to think of myself as being quite a patient person, and able to work well under pressure, and keep my head. As I’ve grown older, this has definitely changed: work and travel has made me more confident and assertive, so I’m less inclined to put up with bullshit, […]

Inspirational People

There have been a number of high profile abuse/paedophilia cases recently, with probably the most high profile being the Jimmy Saville case; but also, because it’s my home, the North Wales care home abuse scandal. However, none feel like they’ve affected me personally as much as the Ian Watkins case. […]

Ian Watkins Trial

I cannot believe I haven’t posted about Masters in France before! They’re awesome – just watch their videos on YouTube, and add them on Twitter and Facebook. You won’t be sorry. And here’s their latest single Flexin’… Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Masters in France

quote171 — Write a letter to the personality trait you like least, convincing it to shape up or ship out. Daily Prompt Hey, procrastination – beat it! I’m tired of you holding me back. It’s your fault that it takes me days to get round to jobs that need doing. That pile […]

Shape Up or Ship Out

0e7111232d4f1d9a67079f3e18ee5e49 — From the Daily Prompt: Describe a moment of kindness, between you and someone else — loved one or complete stranger. When my Round the World 2007 trip came to an end, I blogged about the two men who carried my suitcases for me down to the subway. This is one […]

Moment of Kindness

I would rather it stop altogether, but anyone who eats animals should demand better. Staffordshire Trading Standards are already aware of the disgusting conditions these animals are forced to live in, as are the RSPCA. But perhaps they just need more of a push.Trading Standards’ contact details are as follows:Animal […]

Hillside Animal Sanctuary Farm Investigation

I’m getting a bit teed off with people pointing out what a lot of work I’ve got to do with the land. I realise they think they’re being helpful, but what they don’t realise is that they’re one of many people telling me the same thing. And pointing it out […]

Pointing out the obvious

Do parties and crowds fill you with energy, or send you scurrying for peace and quiet? Daily Prompt Depends how much alcohol is involved. I’m naturally quite shy and cope better in small groups, but ‘tipsy’ is directly correlated to ‘gregarious’; and unfortunately ‘really drunk’ is directly correlated to ‘making […]