“I couldn’t put this book down, I do like a good retelling and this is a good one. Up there with my favourite historical fiction books this year.” Thank you @lynda’s_bookreviews for your lovely review. It means a lot. #saltbooks #historicalfiction #waterstones #theMaternalElement

Publication day for The Maternal Element. Thank you to all who have helped me on my way especially my family, @saltpublishing.com and @ericawagner.bsky.social At book shops now and in the USA available on Kindle. I am so happy the epic and intimate story of the Mendeleev family can be shared.

Thrilled to see The Maternal Element as one of Nick Rennison’s four June picks. @thetimes.com

For families in Rome this a new preschool and primary school is opening based in the Botanical gardens. It looks wonderful,

Three sets and he didn’t trip over his tie! The man’s a miracle!

On my way to the shops! Just moments like this, when the light shines from an unimpeded sky and the washing dries, give me joy.

The opening of Bar Far tonight in Trastevere was stunning. Bar Far is both an installation and a working bar created by Clementine Keith-Roach and Christopher Page and is the inaugural project of Villa Lontana’s new space in Trastevere. Loved it.

A big family wedding gave me a rare moment to be with all five grandchildren at the same time. My large family is dispersed across the globe and spending four full days with my peeps was magic. Weddings are an ancient ritual that have been bringing together families and friends for millennia.

Just bought Sorlin’s book on ibooks. It looks fascinating. The history of snow who would have thought. Having written a novel set in Siberia I am a sucker for all things snowy!

I know it’s like putting up pictures of food and kittens….who needs it...but can’t resist. My youngest grandchildren are devoted and just had to share!

I’m home in Rome and here all the nonsense in the world seems to fall away. It’s a humbling space. No ego stands a chance amid the layers of human stories still breathing in old stone and cement. The light shines clean and clear in Rome no matter what. By nature I’m not a city girl but this city❤️

Remembrance day. My Uncle George did not come home to his family, among them pictured here his younger brother ( my dad) and sister Peggy. This was taken before he signed up.

The light on Rome makes me cry. Just moments like this make me so happy.

Living in Rome is humbling. Day to day stuff is always different. The light changes. Strangers connect. The smells vibrate. The river feels alive. The moon isn’t hidden. I have always chosen to live in Nature. In the wild. But in this city nature and human stories entangle ancient living threads.

I made a basket this year. It’s silly but it gives me deep pleasure. Now filled with loo rolls it reminds me of a very happy day. In chaos simple things matter. A kind friend bought over hotcross buns from M&S. This morning's coffee with a bun overlooking the Tiber was heaven on a stick!

I woke up this morning feeling happy, adoring my students and full of the joys. I won’t be looking at the news today 😂 With memories like this in my head I know I am very lucky person. With 2 of my 5 children on the Altiplano. That space feeds my soul.

The light in Rome fills my heart. I’m not a photograph ( as you can see 😂) but caught these moments on my evening stroll and wanted to share. I love this city so much.

These two pages, generated by genius, are thinking visualised. Messy, unsure, questing. Thinking is all about questioning, doubting, exploring, stumbling and imagining. Darwin and Mendeleev scribbled, walked, visualised, pondered, re-examined and then took leaps into the unknown. This is human.

I have just been given the most touching gift ever by two brothers I have been homeschooling. They and their mum embroidered a sheet of thought threads for me. I cried buckets.

On a thinking walk. I love quiet Rome. From the end of July through August Rome rests.

Back home in Rome after a magical time in Umbria. It’s a privilege to be a permitted resident in Italy. I’m not an ex-pat I am an immigrant. As I was an immigrant for many, many years In Botswana and later in South Africa. Immigration is essential for biological and cultural evolution.

In these troubled times I think we all need a rainbow over Narni. After a rainy drive the sun came out and Nature let it all hang out!

I just love lichen. It never fails to amaze me. Once I found lichen growing on a boulder on the Altiplano in Bolivia: there were no other signs of life at that altitude: I have the deepest respect for this ancient symbiotic organism to which we own so much and yet pay so little heed.

I have to reread this glorious book regularly.

It’s the simple things that give me joy in Rome…on an evening stroll I rounded a corner and saw this little green door…there are stories here....

The white smoke.

There is something profound witnessing this ancient method of sharing information. I’m not a woman of faith but I value the privilege of living in Rome. Let’s hope 133 men consider that 50% of 1.6 billion catholics are women. Let’s hope the new Pope walks through the doors Francis nudged open.

Black smoke and a black cloud!

Rome waits for the first smoke. The crowd is huge and calm. I’m so lucky I live 6 mins away and have been popping in and out all day. We are all waiting! 😀