- Oh hi, I’m back! Here’s what I’ve been up to
At some point earlier this year, I quietly stopped writing my monthly updates. Not in a dramatic, flouncey this is my final post kind of way. Just a slow, unceremonious… stopping. After two years of diligently documenting my life once a month, I ran out of both enthusiasm and the faint belief that anyone was… Read more: Oh hi, I’m back! Here’s what I’ve been up to - I watched Louis Theroux: The Manosphere so you don’t have to (But you still should)
Last week, my boyfriend and I (along with everyone else on the internet) watched the new Netflix documentary Louis Theroux: The Manosphere. If you haven’t come across it yet, it’s exactly what it sounds like: Louis Theroux wandering calmly into the internet’s weirdest male self-help ecosystem and, between long pauses of awkward silence, politely asking… Read more: I watched Louis Theroux: The Manosphere so you don’t have to (But you still should) - January 2026: New year, same old me I’m afraid
We are now one twelfth of the way through 2026, which means that I have now been publishing monthly life updates to the internet for two entire years. Mad shit. (If you want to read my other monthly updates stretching all the way back to January of 2024, you can find them all here). As… Read more: January 2026: New year, same old me I’m afraid - The New Years resolutions I didn’t make for 2026
How are your New Year’s resolutions going? Genuine question. We’re over halfway through January now, so this feels like a safe point to check in. The popular consensus seems to be that January lasts approximately six months; that it’s a bleak, endless stretch of darkness, budgeting and diet apps, and people pretending to enjoy early… Read more: The New Years resolutions I didn’t make for 2026 - December 2025: In which Fran watches far too many awful Christmas movies
Welcome to 2026! 2025 is officially old news. December was, predictably, a lot. It started with good intentions and a vague sense that I would ease gently into the festive season. It did not end that way. I was ill for approximately three quarters of the month, and somewhere between school deadlines, end-of-year admin, dark… Read more: December 2025: In which Fran watches far too many awful Christmas movies - Love Hard film review: Flying 3,000 miles to be catfished at Christmas
I rewatched Love Hard a few years after first seeing it, largely because a suspicious number of people insisted it was something I wouldn’t hate. In Christmas-film terms, I think we’ve established that this is a glowing recommendation. Natalie, our protagonist, is young, hot, child-free, and looking for love on an app. She’s having a… Read more: Love Hard film review: Flying 3,000 miles to be catfished at Christmas
- My spring garden glow-up: Trying to undo a minimalist garden
This post was written in collaboration with Very.co.uk. When I moved into this house just over a year ago, the garden was pretty tasteful. Minimalist. Calm. Grey pots. Slate chips. A space that clearly belonged to someone who was a… Read more: My spring garden glow-up: Trying to undo a minimalist garden - POPOSOAP Solar Pond Filter with Water Fountain review (it works)
This Solar Powered Pond Fountain from Poposoap was sent to me for this review. Contains affiliate links. You can buy it from Amazon, here. Check out the Poposoap website. You may have noticed that I’m writing rather less content on… Read more: POPOSOAP Solar Pond Filter with Water Fountain review (it works) - Christmas at home with Very: Making the house feel festive
This post was written in collaboration with Very.co.uk. There’s a very particular moment every year when the feeling of Christmas sneaks up on you. For me, it was the first Saturday in November after the clocks changed; the sky was… Read more: Christmas at home with Very: Making the house feel festive
- Are we nearly there yet? (No. No we are not) + WIN A YOTO MINI
I wrote this post in collaboration with Yoto who have provided me with a Yoto Mini to give away, and gave us some free Yoto cards too. I love Yoto and you can see a bunch of reviews I’ve done… Read more: Are we nearly there yet? (No. No we are not) + WIN A YOTO MINI - Bed Kingdom: Flair Loop Midsleeper Bed Storage Set Review
Well we finally moved house, and one of the great joys was putting lots of stuff in a skip. Honestly, if you love someone, don’t get the smellies for their birthday – get them skip hire. Very cathartic. One of… Read more: Bed Kingdom: Flair Loop Midsleeper Bed Storage Set Review - How to get the right school shoes for your children with Start-Rite
This is a collaborative post – I received the shoes featured for free from Start-Rite As the end of the school year approaches, one of the essential tasks for parents to do over the summer holidays is to go out… Read more: How to get the right school shoes for your children with Start-Rite
- A Slightly Paranoid Dog Mum’s Guide to Not Losing Your Dog
I should preface this by saying that I have never actually lost Izzy. I feel like that’s important context. But have I stood in the woods behind the village shouting her name in an increasingly unhinged voice while she cheerfully… Read more: A Slightly Paranoid Dog Mum’s Guide to Not Losing Your Dog - Why I can’t wear black anymore: A Labrador owner’s memoir
Contains affilaite links Once upon a time, and long after my brief goth years were over, black was a wardrobe staple. Elegant, slimming, practical; black is a classic choice for the tired mum with no energy for fashion but a… Read more: Why I can’t wear black anymore: A Labrador owner’s memoir - A last minute dog friendly holiday in Cornwall: Haven Perran Sands, Perranporth review
Note: This Perran Sands review is entirely my own words and in no way connected to or sponsored by Haven. It got to Sunday afternoon before the last full week of the holidays, and the kids were due back from… Read more: A last minute dog friendly holiday in Cornwall: Haven Perran Sands, Perranporth review
- How to spend a long weekend in Marrakech, Morocco
In an attempt to keep the January blues at bay, my boyfriend and I booked a weekend trip to Marrakech. We left Gatwick early on Thursday afternoon and got back on Sunday, which doesn’t seem like enough time to visit… Read more: How to spend a long weekend in Marrakech, Morocco - Locked and liquored up: A boozy afternoon at Alcotraz, London
We received tickets for the Alcotraz London prison cocktail bar experience in exchange for this review but words and pictures are my own. After lunch on Saturday (and a brief recovery period from some spicy Goan monkfish and excellent lentil… Read more: Locked and liquored up: A boozy afternoon at Alcotraz, London - A last minute dog friendly holiday in Cornwall: Haven Perran Sands, Perranporth reviewNote: This Perran Sands review is entirely my own words and in no way connected to or sponsored by Haven. It got to Sunday afternoon before the last full week of the holidays, and the kids were due back from… Read more: A last minute dog friendly holiday in Cornwall: Haven Perran Sands, Perranporth review
- January 2026: New year, same old me I’m afraid
We are now one twelfth of the way through 2026, which means that I have now been publishing monthly life updates to the internet for two entire years. Mad shit. (If you want to read my other monthly updates stretching… Read more: January 2026: New year, same old me I’m afraid - December 2025: In which Fran watches far too many awful Christmas movies
Welcome to 2026! 2025 is officially old news. December was, predictably, a lot. It started with good intentions and a vague sense that I would ease gently into the festive season. It did not end that way. I was ill… Read more: December 2025: In which Fran watches far too many awful Christmas movies - November 2025: Theme parks, music and people that don’t get the joke
And just like my washing machine eating my favourite pyjamas, December arrived with zero remorse. November in my experience is largely rubbish – cold, wet, dark and uninspiring. But this one was alright! Let’s get straight into it, shall we?… Read more: November 2025: Theme parks, music and people that don’t get the joke
- Tieks shoes: Folding ballet flats with attitude (A review)
I need to start with the important bit, before anyone gets twitchy: these Tieks ballet flats were sent to me for this review. I didn’t buy them. They were freebies. You can read more here. Now that we’ve got that… Read more: Tieks shoes: Folding ballet flats with attitude (A review) - Review: Women’s Bamboo Pyjama Set from British Boxers
This post is a collaboration with British Boxers and these PJs were free. I’ve been on the hunt for decent pyjamas for a while now, something that feels like actual loungewear luxury rather than old band t-shirts I should be… Read more: Review: Women’s Bamboo Pyjama Set from British Boxers - Embracing the spring transition with a new midsize wardrobe from Very.co.uk
This post was written in collaboration with Very As the seasons shift and the days begin to lengthen, there’s a certain magic in the air: brighter mornings, blooming flowers, and the promise of new beginnings… And what better way to… Read more: Embracing the spring transition with a new midsize wardrobe from Very.co.uk
- Ten signs you’re in perimenopause (and everyone needs to get out of your way)
Perimenopause almost sounds like something soft and wafting; a gentle prelude to a whimsical hormonal fade-out. It is not. It is a hormonal rave in your uterus while your brain quietly packs up and moves out. Officially, it’s the stage… Read more: Ten signs you’re in perimenopause (and everyone needs to get out of your way) - Biird Lumii clitoral sucker sex toy: Review & discount
Disclaimer: I was sent the Biird Lumii clitoral sucker and some other bits and bobs to review free of charge for this post, but words and pictures are mine. This post contains affiliate links. See more information here. You can get a… Read more: Biird Lumii clitoral sucker sex toy: Review & discount - Biird Namii vibrator and clitoral stimulator/sucker review & discount
Disclaimer: I was sent the Biird Namii vibrator and clitoral stimulator to review to free of charge for this post, but words and pictures are mine. This post contains affiliate links. See more information here. You can get a 10% discount on… Read more: Biird Namii vibrator and clitoral stimulator/sucker review & discount
- Christmas at home with Very: Making the house feel festiveThis post was written in collaboration with Very.co.uk. There’s a very particular moment every year when the feeling of Christmas sneaks up on you. For me, it was the first Saturday in November after the clocks changed; the sky was… Read more: Christmas at home with Very: Making the house feel festive
- Review: Women’s Bamboo Pyjama Set from British BoxersThis post is a collaboration with British Boxers and these PJs were free. I’ve been on the hunt for decent pyjamas for a while now, something that feels like actual loungewear luxury rather than old band t-shirts I should be… Read more: Review: Women’s Bamboo Pyjama Set from British Boxers
- Keeping cool, waking up fresh & garden discos: My summer at home tech essentials
This post was written in collaboration with Very.co.uk Look, I love the idea of summer. Sun, long evenings, drinks in the garden, maybe even brushing off the BBQ if I can remember how to light it. But in reality? British… Read more: Keeping cool, waking up fresh & garden discos: My summer at home tech essentials