This is me from about ten years ago, more or less. Dressed as Pippi Longstocking for some reason. All day no-one could keep a straight face when they looked at me. And yes, it was a work day. I had to be careful not to turn my head too quickly, in case I poked anyone in the eye. And the plaits stuck out wider than my shoulders, so I needed to pay attention walking through doors so I didn’t catch them.

I’ve gone through a lot of changes in the last ten years. Ten years ago I was engaged, and we’ve since got married, had two delightful children and moved to the Netherlands. All four of those are pretty big life changes – I don’t plan on any more of any of them!

Ten years ago (well, in a couple of months) I was promoted to team leader in the library where I worked. So I started managing people and joined the Extended Leadership Team, with an input into the strategic direction of the organisation.

I had no idea then that becoming an author was the direction I would go in. I dreamed of writing, but never actually sat down to do it. So the fact that I’m now taking my dreams in my hand and actively working towards them is probably the biggest change.

Along with that I’m more aware of my ageing body. Before Christmas I fell over skating. Hard. I can still feel it. Even ten years ago I probably would have got up and shaken it off fairly easily, but I can feel myself becoming more cautious. Thinking more about whether I dare climb the ladder onto the roof to see what’s going on up there.

They say that at 35 you begin the pre-menopause, when your body starts making changes to stop being fertile. Is that why I feel so bleurgh? Can I blame it all on my hormones? That should be my excuse when I’m feeling grumpy at least!

What will the next ten years bring? Will I look back on this as the foundation of my writing career? I can’t wait to see how my children thrive and develop into their teens. What sort of people they will become. That will be the biggest adventure.