Blue Noun

31/10/2026

It’s the time of year to take a perfectly good cupcake and make it look as disgusting as possible.

Here are the results of our Halloween cupcake workshop 👻👻👻👻

Maybe you’re like me, and you’d like to be the kind of parent who finds time to do messy, creative cooking with your child, but the time and the clean-up are prohibitive.

It’s just one advantage of joining me for a family English-language holiday in Scotland.

I combine my skills in making English feel comfortable with flexible, creative cooking and my genuine beliefs:
a. A surprising number of things can be improved by adding googly eyes.
b. The results are endlessly funny.
A large part of me got serious and built a space for learning English unlike any other.
Part of me never grew up — and trust me, that’s the part that will make English come alive for your kids.
I have limited places for 2027 family holidays, as I make Blue Noun available to your family privately for a whole week.
Ask me how it works.

30/10/2026

It’s the time of year to take a perfectly good cupcake and make it look as disgusting as possible.

Here are the results of our Halloween cupcake workshop, run through a fisheye lens for fun.
Maybe you’re like me, and you’d like to be the kind of parent who finds time to do messy, creative cooking with your child, but the time and the clean-up are prohibitive.

It’s just one advantage of joining me for a family English-language holiday in Scotland.
I combine my skills in making English feel comfortable with flexible, creative cooking and my genuine beliefs:
a. A surprising number of things can be improved by adding googly eyes.

b. The results are endlessly funny.
A large part of me got serious and built a space for learning English unlike any other.

Part of me never grew up — and trust me, that’s the part that will make English come alive for your kids.
I have limited places for 2027 family holidays, as I make Blue Noun available to your family privately for a whole week.

Ask me how it works.

17/10/2026

09/10/2026

09/10/2026

Today I had my first mammogram.

I’m grateful for our health system, but it’s not a fun process so I’m rewarding myself with gorgeous cake.

Crieff is a small town on the edge of the highlands loaded with artisanal chocolate shops, bakeries, cafes and other high-quality food retailers.

I’m full of respect for all these expert makers. And as their businesses help make Crieff such wonderful place to come and use English, I’d best do my bit to help my favourites weather the less touristic times…

(To be more honest, there was a mini queue waiting for them to open today).

How are you looking after yourself today?



Ems & Co. Pastry Shop

08/10/2026

Tonight at Strathearn Arts

A 50-min film centred around the National Emergency Briefing. The frank facts, but also the huge opportunity if Government steps up and leads a WW2-scale response. Designed to be watched by communities together with their MP. Due for release 7th April.

28/09/2026

As a French learner, I kept hearing about le déclic — the click.
That magical moment when, after a long period of confusion, everything would suddenly become easy.
I believed in it.
I lusted after it.
And when it never happened to me, I blamed myself.
Many years of language teaching later, I still remember that feeling.
I DO believe in aha moments.
I see them all the time.
I love hearing my language guests go:
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”
Something that felt impossible suddenly gets a little clearer.
Sometimes it takes time, practice and repetition.
Sometimes it takes one tiny, well-placed intervention:
“Try putting your tongue like this when you say ‘j’.”
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
But that’s very different from promising one big click.
My invitation isn’t to come to Scotland for le déclic.
It’s to come for 1,000 micro-moments of being you in English.
Lots and lots of evidence that says:
I can do this.
That’s often where enjoying using English starts to grow.
And maybe that’s the only déclic you really need.



22/09/2026

When we were walking the banks of the River Earn, we came across a construction — some kind of summerhouse extension being built right next to the river.
There was no one around, so we made it our own. It was like having a private stage.

At first, we picnicked on homemade sushi. But then we got brave and started dancing.

Blue Noun is about permission to speak, permission to feel good using your English. We don’t plan every second. We ask what every new element could be.

This is Blue Noun.
This is how we explore.

My Tastes of Place holiday gives us an extra-rich food-and-drink version of just this.

My own image. Taken on a Blue Noun holiday.

19/09/2026

My bus trip into Edinburgh, I never get tired of this view, and crossing into the city? Exciting! 🍺🍩🌮🎶🎵

❤️

17/09/2026

A windy visit to Blackness Castle