Life in Cookieland Blog
Health | Mental Health | Adventure | Rants
Winter wildlife on the Antarctic Peninsula
Most newborn life had already headed north for the winter so only a few of…
The lure of Glen Coe in winter
The Scottish Highlands. It’s the only place on Earth that pulls me like a magnet…
The idea: walking the scottish highlands
It was 5am when I sat bolt upright in bed, prodded Dave’s cheek and declared,…
Feeling like a nuisance around other people
One thing I've learned during the recovery from my nervous breakdown is that it all…
The symptoms of a nervous breakdown
It takes a long time to spiral all the way down to rock bottom. And…
A strange(r) connection
Whilst trespassing on farmland (training to walk 1000 miles solo round Iceland) I had an…
Beginner’s guide to different types of fasting
Fasting refers to the practice of going without food for a period of time. How…
Photos from the Scottish Highlands
These photographs of the south-western Highlands were taken on my way to a regular winter…
Cookie The Slapdash Adventurer
I've always wanted to be an epic adventurer. Imagine my disappointment, then, to find out…
My breakdown; my best friend
My breakdown is being a tough-talking best friend; it's not trying to hurt me in…
Sunrise over The Quiraing, Isle of Skye
The name Quiraing comes from the Old Norse phrase Kví Rand, which means Round Fold.
No, it’s not perimenopause!
Your nerves are raw and you’re aware that you’re hypersensitive at the best of times…
Tristan da Cunha, the remotest inhabited island
It took me five years to find a ship bound for the remotest inhabited island…
No kids? What’s wrong with you?
I don't want children, which makes me a selfish, child-hating woman, who's no idea what…
Feeling fragile after a mental breakdown
Being fragile is part of being human, a moment of relative dysfunction in an otherwise…
Such is the stigma of mental illness
Did I really have a breakdown? Noooooo, I just decided to stop functioning for a…
Not all that glitters is gold
After a couple of hours and a couple of gins, my companion decided that I…
You’re offended – well, so bloody what?
How fabulous it is to have grown up in a time where people could enjoy…
Just how awkward is this going to be?
Yep, people tend to avoid talking about mental breakdowns. It’s all they can do to…
Mind over matter
My world fell apart when I had my breakdown but I remember seeing it as…
I hate hot weather, don’t I?
Anyone who knows me knows that for over half a century I've cheered as winter’s…
The mesmerising beauty of Antarctic Icebergs
Nothing could have prepared us for the variety of icebergs that we were to see…
I’m a woman and I hate shopping!
I read an article this morning about how women are programmed to love shopping, as…
Pop-up? Pop off!
Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s marketing, I know it’s a 'keep their attention'…
