Two years later, it’s here!


It’s the moment you can’t believe will ever arrive — the first time you have your book in your hands. The book you’ve worked on for two whole years. I remember sitting on my bed with my laptop, furiously typing up my notes for the sample chapter I was to send the editor I hoped was going to be MY editor if she accepted my book proposal. The phone rang — it was my sister, who still hadn’t gone into labour. And now here I am, one month away from my nephew’s second birthday, typing furiously into my laptop, my finished book by my side.


Creating a book the traditional way is such a long process, laughably so if you consider how fast new media moves today. But man, it is such a privilege to be able to even to tell you that. The physical book is here at last (and you’ll see how I feel about that in the video below :) but I’m hoping that it’s more than just paper and pages. Without wanting to get too woo woo on you, I’m hoping that you’ll feel the intentions I had when I was sat in the exact spot i’m sitting in now, typing into my laptop. When it was just me and my thoughts and my wrists aching with RSI. Because I’m thrilled the book is a real book, and that I’ll get to do my wee book tour in the summer and celebrate this object we made, but the real magic will happen when you’re sitting quietly reading the words, with a cup of tea by your side and maybe a cat on your lap. I hope that you find the words useful. Comforting. Inspiring. Affirming.

I just hope you like the book, basically :)

#scared #happy #overwhelmed #grateful

Something for the weekend


I’ve been dreaming up fun things to do for my book signings so i had a stamp made and it arrived yesterday. Kozue on Etsy has done such an amazing job! My idea was this: if you meet me in person and I sign your book I’ll put a stamp in it too, to make it a bit special :)

LOVE this! Famous photgraphers pose with their iconic images

Beautiful abstract Polaroids (via jen)

The washi tape expo

[video] Brian Cox is my new pin-up: why everything is connected to everything else

My sister and I are obsessed with this for Noah

Love the story behind this jewellery company

Sip & snack

This is epic: the scale of the universe

Could he BE any sexier?!

50 ways to say ‘you’re awesome’

Marianne’s book, Zen Under Fire, is now OUT IN THE WORLD! We first met when she was working in Afghanistan and came to the UK for a few days of down time…. and look where she is now. I am so so proud of my friend!

[video] Mary Ellen Mark shares her thoughts on capturing iconic images (also: looking foward to this book)

And finally, the winner of Wednesday’s poetry giveaway is Cecilia! Email coming your way soon, love x

On being a beginner


I had my third driving lesson this morning. Well, when I say third, I mean from this time around. This is my third attempt at learning to drive. The first time I was 19 or 20, eager to pass my test as quickly as possible, managing to fail my test equally fast. A lack of funds ended that particular attempt.

Living in London — and living with a partner who could drive — meant I didn’t get around to trying again until 2004. I was zipping around north London and practicing my three-point turns, and everything seemed to be going great. And then the lack of funds thing happened again… and other bad stuff happened too. You know that story already.

So here I am, hoping it’ll be third time lucky. Because this time I have a more concrete reason for wanting a driver’s license. I want to move out of Bath and into the Cotswolds. I want to be nearer my nephew, and I want more space. And a cat. Maybe even a dog.

I want to start the next chapter of my life, and to do that I need to be mobile. I need to be able to drive.

Being a beginner is hard. Allowing yourself to be a beginner is even harder. I feel so accomplished in so many areas of my life, it’s frustrating not being able to just get in a car and go like everyone else. The first two lessons were hard on the nerves but today my confidence grew as we went out on country roads and I got my speed up to 60mph. Fourth gear, people! My positioning is still all over the place, but today I had moments of ‘I’m driving! and a few secret smiles as I remembered to take my foot off the gas when changing gear ;) A learner has so much to think about, but in today’s lesson I was more aware of what was happening outside the car too. This is major progress. I guess some of it must be coming back to me.

Today I’m really honouring this feeling of being a beginner. It carries so many lessons with it. Like patience. Humility. Vulnerability. Irony. There are lots of beginnings I want to draw to me this year, so it feels good to remember that with them comes the clunky lack-of-grace of being a beginner. We all have to start somewhere.