Traveling Light Photography

28/05/2026

I love it when old memories pop up on my screen. This one came up this morning, taking me back to a time when I’d go to French markets on weekends and stock up on coffee and fresh flowers. I’d carry my shopping in a basket and wear jeans and boots. I had blonde hair and a pre-baby body. I barely recognise that version of myself these days, but she’s still with me. She’s still part of who I am, as are all of my previous incarnations.

Part of the reason why I want to live a life rich in experience is so that I’ll have a lot to look back on when I’m 100. It turns out that it’s already quite fun looking back now. 😊💕

19/05/2026

14/05/2026

Yesterday, incapacitated by back pain, I spent the day in bed. It was a gift. It gave me a chance to reflect on my surroundings, and to remember never to take my good health and fitness for granted.

I looked around my gorgeous room and saw light shining in interesting ways on the walls. I saw the artefacts I’ve accumulated from my life in places like Palestine, China and Pakistan, and my visits to other places like Egypt and Myanmar and Switzerland. I saw my pets, in all their loving presence. I saw my always overflowing TBR pile.

I’m so grateful for my life, and for the fact that my back feels much better today. But sometimes the lessons are in the pain. The twinges remind us to take nothing for granted, and to revel in the gift of life everyday. 💕

07/05/2026

Back in the day when I had a corporate job (can you even imagine?!), I thought I hated networking. But it turns out I was just talking to the wrong people about the wrong things. Now that I spend much of my time talking about books with the people who write them and the people who read them, I realise there’s nothing I enjoy more than growing this beautiful circle of book lovers, and hanging out with them in gorgeous places.

Membership of the Sanur Symposium is growing exponentially, so on the last Friday of every month I hold two meetings - a daytime one and an evening one - to accommodate everyone’s schedules. Last month I spent six glorious hours at , talking about I’m Mostly Here To Enjoy Myself by MacNicol.

I’ve recently written about joy as a revolutionary act. Glynnis MacNicol’s book is a fantastic reminder that women focusing on their own pleasure is especially revolutionary. I for one am down for this particular form of rebellion.

29/04/2026

The Sanur Symposium is all about the books. We’ve met every month for twelve months now, and have read books by twelve extraordinary writers.

If the only venue available to us for these conversations was a small cupboard under the stairs, we’d find a way to make it work. We just want to talk about books and the people who write them, and we could do that anywhere. But happily, at least for now, we’re not confined to the cupboard 😊. Having somewhere beautiful to meet on the last Friday of every month elevates our conversations to something even more sublime than they might be otherwise. 📚🙏💕