Author Archives: susancarey

About susancarey

Writer and teacher living in Amsterdam. Trying to be mindful and occasionally succeeding!

All Good Things…

Posted on July 23, 2019

After two months of house-sitting it is sadly almost time to go home again. We’ve travelled through Hertfordshire, Nottinghamshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Leicestershire and spent the last two weeks in the smallest county in England, Rutland. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, lifestyle, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Llamas, Outrageous Wealth and The Black Death

Posted on June 7, 2019

It’s a first! pet-sitting llamas in deepest Peru, I mean deepest Hertfordshire. Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, history, lifestyle, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Is it OK to trample on the tulips, in pursuit of the ultimate selfie?

Posted on April 25, 2019

We live in an era of narcissism fuelled by sites such as Facebook and Instagram. Many people post images of themselves amongst the tulip fields surrounding the famous spring gardens, de Keukenhof and this often involves traipsing through and destroying … Continue reading →

Posted in lifestyle, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Creative Hub – De Ceuvel in #Amsterdam

Posted on March 5, 2019

Sorry for the radio silence, dear followers! I have been doing a turbo-boost fiction course which I blogged about for Writers Abroad here. That took up my writing energy for a bit. Clichéd Vision The new series on BBC1, Sunday … Continue reading →

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Silence: an elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

Posted on January 22, 2019

Noise, it’s everywhere, isn’t it? Loud machines and vehicles are associated with importance and personal status. It’s even infiltrated our language. The idiom; he/she’s a big noise means someone is an important person. Fire Alarm set too loud Even if … Continue reading →

Posted in health & diet, lifestyle, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Ghost Story for #Christmas!

Posted on December 13, 2018

The Haunting of Hill House plays with that numinous area between emotional vulnerabilities and supernatural possession suggesting that we are all, like the Crain family, ‘haunted’ in some way; perhaps by family trauma, relationships that went wrong or wishes that never came to fruition. Continue reading →

Posted in Creative writing, netflix series, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Coffee, Cake and Furry Friends #catcafe #jippies #haarlem

Posted on November 20, 2018

Haarlem is so close to Amsterdam that Frank and I often go there for a day trip. It’s much more civilised than Amsterdam. The Red Light District there is quite small which means it doesn’t attract the amount of low … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Food, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

This Little Pig Likes to Frolic #Endthecageage #CIWF

Posted on October 22, 2018

Can I Play Outside? I grew up on a smallholding so the welfare of farm animals has always been an important issue to me. I believe farm animals should live without pain and discomfort and be able to fulfil their … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, health & diet, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

In Praise of #Amsterdam Parks

Posted on September 27, 2018

Well designed and well-kept parks are good for people’s mental and physical health. In Amsterdam we have parks and green spaces in abundance. My favourite park, because it’s less than 100 metres walk away, is the Erasmuspark. When I moved … Continue reading →

Posted in travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Living the Dream Inside a Chocolate Box

Posted on August 16, 2018

Those of you who follow my blog will know that Frank and I enjoy house-sitting and caring for animals. Looking after pets is a big part of the reciprocal agreement between house-sitter and owner. Often feeding the garden birds is … Continue reading →

Posted in travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments