Louise Sibley Author

  I’ve lost count of the times when someone has asked me if I am so and so in the book. The answer, I guess, is yes, probably. My Nan used to say that I was a diamond, which was rather sweet. I know she meant that I was precious to her and special, but if you think of a diamond as having multiple facets, then that is true about all of us. Initially, we’re the product of our genes and DNA. One father, one mother, and some late-night shenanigans, and suddenly there’s a new person. We inherit bits of their DNA, like our dad’s eye colour, our mother’s red hair or a quirky shape ear or chin that blesses generations, but the other facets of our lives don’t necessarily come from our parents; they are learnt or experienced. Some of my personality comes from experience; being hurt or bullied gave me a tougher skin for a while. Experiencing trauma leaves a mark, too. Illness, bereavement, being the last to be picked for team sport, or just feeling like you don’t fit in can all develop tr...

 Morning everyone! Do you ever wake up in the morning and have no clue what day it is? I just realised it’s Friday, so it’s blog day, and I know exactly what I want to talk about. Esse Quam Videri was my school motto. It means ‘to be, rather than to seem’. I saw it quoted on social media this morning, and it reminded me of my school days. When I was at school, I tried to fit in like everyone else. I had a small group of close friends, but I wasn’t one of the popular girls. I felt awkward in my own skin because I wasn’t particularly pretty or clever; I wasn’t sporty or gifted in art; I was just ordinary with a horrendous A-line navy skirt that did me no favours. My domestic science teacher told me that it was good that I chose an alternative to cooking because my cooking skills were appalling, and my French teacher said that a grammar school education was wasted on me because I was likely to be just a housewife. I usually came near the bottom of the class in end-of-term exams, and I...