Hello. It has been nearly 2 years since my last post. That’s quite a lot of time, and a lot of unwritten words for someone who used to write a blog post about twice a month.

Needless to say, there’s a very good reason for it: Graham was diagnosed with cancer in July of 2016. It was quite a long road. At the beginning, it was possible to keep writing posts that skirted the reality of life. And then it wasn’t. There were more important things to be doing. I tried, briefly, to resume blogging in 2018, but I couldn’t find anything to think about other than the hugeness of dealing with Graham’s final months, let alone write about anything. So I didn’t.

After Graham died (in July, 2018) I took some time to step back from everything. It had been a long, hard journey, as such experiences must be, and I needed some time to reflect and work out what I wanted to happen, and to do. In the meantime, I decided to embark on a project to transform the 2nd floor of the house: something that Graham had flat-out refused to countenance. It was good, if terribly bittersweet, to throw myself into a selfish (but expensive) undertaking. Some of our friends thought I was utterly bonkers – Ok, most – but they were supportive of my endeavours nonetheless. By Christmas of 2018 the bulk of the work had been done, and I was vindicated. The upgrade has made much better use of the space I have for my personal use, and allowed for it to accommodate B&B guests too.

So now, at the beginning of 2020, 18 months after Graham’s death, I am ready to resume Life at Les Terraces. I hope that there are many, many new blog posts to come and that they will interest, amuse and (who knows), even occasionally inform you.

And with that, it’s time to walk the dog. We’re expecting puppies in a few weeks, and so new lives keep happening.