My name is Heather Jayne Penrod, and I guess I’m just like everybody else – in that I’m nothing like anybody else.

We can all find others who understand or even share some of our attributes, experiences, or interests; but in the words of Art Garfunkel “nobody quite got it right, nobody knew just how it feels to be me.” It is precisely this uniqueness which often causes me to feel like an outsider, like I don’t really belong.

I’m a British expat living in America with my American husband and two rescue cats. I’m an introvert (INFJ for those of you who like Myers Briggs labels), a musician, a Christian, and a housewife. I also have a small business making leather goods with my husband. I love reading, knitting, cooking, and walking.

Winter is my favourite time of the year, I especially love the dark, early nights and long for the clocks to change in the autumn. I have summer onset SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and find the light and heat of summer exceptionally difficult.

I am aware that I embody many contradictions. For example, I passionately dislike social media, yet have wanted to write a blog for the longest time. I love routine and resist change but will get bored and restless and need something fresh to inspire me.

I find the world a very loud place to be. Everywhere I go, music is loud, people are loud, traffic is loud. I crave peace, solitude and most of all, quiet.

So this is my quiet little corner of the internet, where I can write about all the different things that make me, me. You are welcome to come and stay a while, away from the noise of the world.