My Writing

We step into Heartwood Tea rooms in Sandridge, a small Tudor building with low ceilings, sash windows and exposed brickwork with contemporary lighting. Before we order our afternoon teas, we go for a wander to have a look around the tearooms,…

At Waddesdon Manor we take the stairs to the first floor bedrooms, the dark wooden paneling, arrangement of furniture and embroidered textiles give a sense of luxury and comfort. Throughout the house there are many intricately designed clocks…

We step out of the shuttle bus and there before us in the distance is the magnificent Waddesdon Manor. An extravagant French Renaissance Chateau built on a huge scale complete with round towers, columns, turrets and pinnacles. Ferdinand de…

I’m a regular at Oasis, our local Mediterranean and Middle Eastern restaurant; it’s very popular in the neighbourhood, and it makes a nice change to the usual Indian or Chinese.  It looks pretty low key from outside with a couple of…

We walk across the parkland of Hatfield House estate and head towards a circle of marquees corralled around a field. I’ve enjoyed many craft fairs since moving to St Albans. As I never came to events like this while growing up in London, I…

I’d heard that Carpenters garden centre in Sandridge had been renovated recently and wanted to go and see for myself. It’s quiet and peaceful before the weekend rush and that time of year when nature bursts back into life. The warm steady…

We’ve driven 20 minutes from St Albans for a guided tour of Waltham Abbey Church. As we turn a corner this huge Norman Church looks quite imposing and almost feels out of proportion in the middle of the town with small buildings dotted around…

Sunlight gently filters into the woodland. We walk deeper into Nomansland on this cool Spring morning. We breathe in the clean air and tread the soft earth amidst hundreds of trees, blending and running into each other, each one growing towards…

It is a cool misty afternoon in April. Tall pine trees swish in the breeze as we drive to The Wicked Lady passing by hundreds of bright yellow daffodils. This contemporary pub and restaurant is located opposite No-man’s land, near Wheathampstead.…

We enter a spacious brightly lit gym surrounded with wall-to-wall windows looking out onto the green. A mirrored far wall reflects back the chrome equipment so that we can see ourselves working out.  I joined this gym recently, given that…

The Hatfield Galleria opened in 1991 and sits above the A1 motorway tunnel. It was designed in the shape of an aircraft hangar to celebrate Hatfield’s aeronautical history. As it’s a cold wet afternoon and only a ten-minute drive away,…

It’s a warm sunlit afternoon; we sit on the brick wall under the ancient clock tower, relaxing and taking in the fresh air and scenery; after the long winter I feel as if I need to sit outside as much as possible and soak up the sun. My…

It’s nearly 6.30pm and I just about manage to get up from my cosy sofa and set off to my Yoga class. I have attended quite a few classes over the years and find it to be a rewarding discipline that can be practiced at any age. I’m always…

St. Stephen’s church is located south of the city centre, over the road from the King Harry pub. Based on the writings of Matthew Paris, a Benedictine Monk at St Albans Abbey in the 13th century, St. Stephen’s is one of the three ancient…

Lingering in The Fleetville Larder our local coffee shop, I’m served a hot chocolate as I watch the snowfall; I take a sip, it’s the perfect temperature and immediately warms me as I think about what a crazy week it’s been! It feels cosy…

There’s a perfect balance of town and country in Harpenden. Located between Luton and St Albans, its centre is known locally as the village and it has certainly retained its charm. Harpenden is well protected by being in a conservation area…

The bright winter sun is shining as we step into the Three Wise Monkeys, the vintage Emporium next to Osprey.  A musty air fills the space as we wander into the first room arranged with tall glass cabinets and Victorian bookcases. The shelves…

When I was a teenager I sometimes used to meet up with my cousin after school and go to a local café to discuss existential issues and boys over apple pie and custard and a hot cup of tea. Today walking into The Pudding Stop with my daughter…

We walk into Mokoko, an award winning cocktail bar on Verulam road; it’s just a small building from the outside but as I close the door behind me, the dim glowing lights, low ceiling, closed venetian blinds and background base tunes give it…