Sarah Cassels

A year ago, I was still deep in recovery, and January felt impossibly long and overwhelmingly dark. February and March weren’t much kinder. I’ve always experienced a touch of melancholy after Christmas and New Year, but last winter the lowness took on a new intensity. Even as the year unfolded and I slowly found my way back to myself, a part of me still carried anxiety about whether this January would bring the same weight. For those of you who know my story, you’ll know that therapy and...

With Bonfire Night and Halloween now behind us, the rest of the year seems to glide — or sometimes hurtles towards Christmas. Even if you’re someone who doesn’t start planning until much nearer the time, it’s hard to escape the sight of wreaths and Christmas trees outside supermarkets, or the rows of Poinsettias appearing on sale, not to mention all the Christmas songs that have been playing in shops and supermarkets since mid-November. Christmas  can  be a magical season filled with...

It’s now been six months since we lost our beloved Baggy, and if you’ve read my earlier blog, you’ll know how much he meant to us. At the end of July, after visiting a friend with a gorgeous one- year-old Red Fox Labrador, I came very close to getting a puppy. I even found some online that same day! Mike, ever the voice of reason, told me not to “buy them all” until he got back from walking Ernie (that is my husband's lovely sense of humour!) Deep down, I knew it wasn’t the right time. But...