I must apologise for last month’s grumpy column. It came very close to feeling hopeless, though I did finish with the hope that things were going to get better. Well, they have. Things have definitely gotten better and I can feel the difference, the relief. It’s not quite as relieving as […]

Here we go again. After a heart-lifting Paddy’s Day spent working in the garden in the sunshine, the gales are back. This time they’ve brought along some hail, just to mix things up. Spring is definitely here, but sitting inside, as the rain pummels the house, it might as well […]

It was a fitting end to winter. After freezing temperatures and a dusting of snow, the gales came in. We hunkered down as the wind screamed, the rain pummelled, and the darkness descended. We had the lights on and the fire lit all day. I have to admit that I […]

Though I have lived for nearly twenty-nine years in West Cork, I have mostly managed to retain my mid-Atlantic accent. I have however, invariably picked up on local sayings, and turns of phrase. I have often been accosted by a waiter in London, or New York and asked: “Are you […]

Every January, it is traditional for columnists to write about New Year’s resolutions. However, I feel that might seem a bit presumptuous, given the year we’ve just had and the uncertainty of the year ahead. A resolution to go to the gym three times a week seems a bit tenuous […]

I’ve been writing a column in one form or another for over two decades, and every year in late November I have to dust off my Santa hat and write about the upcoming holidays before we’ve even had Thanksgiving. I have always had a resistance to getting into the festive […]