[Lip-syncing: Fallin'] Alicia Keys is playing from the speaker in the corner. I’m enjoying it not just because I’m transported back to Saturday afternoons with Trevor Nelson on Radio 1, in my sunny yellow flat, the first flat I owned. My first self-created nest. But also because the music is…not loud…but insistently present. I have… Continue reading Sketch: Saudade on a Saturday afternoon
Tag: the frustrated nester
Fresh Ideas and Getting Personal
At a Christmas market in Kampala, Uganda, in 2013, I bought a cute thing from an art teacher who created cute and useful things to supplement her income. I liked the quirkiness of her style, and I liked chatting to her, and who doesn't need an excuse to buy a cute thing? I still have… Continue reading Fresh Ideas and Getting Personal
I KonMari'd My Mind
This is a longer read, so top up your beverage and settle in... It was overwhelming, that first week at home. Before I say more, I am not complaining. I have nothing to complain about. My family and I are healthy and comfortable in our home, with a garden, in a leafy neighbourhood threaded with… Continue reading I KonMari'd My Mind
Re-bonjour à ma Version Française
(Click here to read this post in English.) Plus tôt ce mois, nous avons célébré une de nos traditions préférées. C’était le 6 janvier, l’épiphanie, donc nous avons mangé notre galette des rois, fait maison. Notre Galette des Rois Et oui, vous avez compris, ce n’est même pas écossais, cette tradition. Dans notre famille, entre… Continue reading Re-bonjour à ma Version Française
Re-Bonjour to my Version Française
(Cliquez ici pour lire cet article en français.) Earlier this month, on January 6th, the Frustrated Nester family enthusiastically took part in one of our favourite traditions: la Galette des Rois. Our Galette des Rois: puff pastry with a frangipane filling. A bean (fève) is hidden inside - whoever finds it wears the crown. You’ve… Continue reading Re-Bonjour to my Version Française
Esbjerg Days Out: Tirpitz
Just north of Esbjerg there’s an unassuming car park, surrounded by anti-tank barricades* littered on the sand. There’s a utilitarian sign with distinctive-looking yellow lettering, which seems only to mark the dune on which it stands. But a path cuts through the dune. The only hint of where you're going is a sliver of eerie… Continue reading Esbjerg Days Out: Tirpitz
My 10 Big Lessons from 10 Years of Expat Life
Pop open some bubbles and raise a glass with me! Today is my 10-year expativersary! You can't go through a decade of non-stop transitions and culture shock without learning a thing or two.
Join my Journey!
Have you noticed? There's something in the air... Well, there's something in the pixels anyway: a subtle but significant rebrand of The Frustrated Nester. Business cards! Over the past few months new ideas have formed, and new opportunities have been exploited, and it's been an exhilarating time, actually. I say 'actually' because I hadn't really… Continue reading Join my Journey!
Denmark Sketch: The School Run on Two Wheels
We’re not quite in the habit yet, though the mornings are light again. There’s always ‘something’: someone’s sick, or I have to drive straight off to an appointment, or there’s a bulky planet costume to take with us, or we have to drop MT at work, or, more truthfully, two out of three of us… Continue reading Denmark Sketch: The School Run on Two Wheels
How to Hit the Ground Running – Part Two: Expat Mindset
When I started compiling my thoughts about the idea of 'hitting the ground running' as an expat, I realised that I had too much to say in one post! Although we don't have a very long list of countries under our belt, our circumstances put us through a lot of moves over a short period… Continue reading How to Hit the Ground Running – Part Two: Expat Mindset
