Mise en place

I have my PhD place confirmed, I start October – I’d rather start right now, but I am making the best of things by preparing ahead.

Trust it will happen

The stars and planets aren’t quite aligned yet. With all the Covid problems going on I have this inner feeling that perhaps the uni will ask me to wait to start … So I have been preparing contingency plans, how I will react, what options I have. And I do […]

Should I be scared?

I mean, here I am age 52 and about to launch on a new career that is going to take 4-6 years of my time and effort before I even truly begin. There’s so much discussion I hear about post-doc life, early career challenges, what the hell am I doing […]

Trust Cake

This website is intended as a record of my PhD journey and beyond. The exploration of the theme of trust alongside working with third sector organisations to create connections and collaborations that help the communities they serve. Trust is an integral ingredient needed to create the connections and collaborations to […]

Trusting stories

Trust is what we build connections and relationships on, some we trust instinctively, others we have to find ways to build it. Stories help. Telling stories of the past, sharing stories of the now, creating stories of the future. I’ve written stories on and off since I was a child, […]

Challenges not problems

Here it is, mid April, and I still haven’t started ‘officially’ on my PhD due to various happenings … some are mine to take responsibility for. Procrastination, fear, and yes – laziness. However, some were beyond my control – delays on obtaining the sign off, Covid-19 virus disrupting work. However, […]

The words we use

The words we use are important, they can potentially heal or harm, connect or divide. Politicians are unfortunately adept at using words to further their agenda, to stir discontent at the wrong target and mainstream media use language even more effectively. Part of what I would like to explore within my […]

Planning a journey

In 2003 when I graduated with my first degree (BA (Hons) History) I knew that someday I would want to pursue a PhD. I did my MA in Historical Research, but between parenting and finances I had to place my dream back on the shelf and write myself a different […]