About

My name is Faye, I’m a single mum of three, and I’m based in Hampshire in the UK. Professionally, I’m a software engineer who has spent 20 years working mostly on embedded Linux-based systems (storage, navigation), but more recently on Windows application development. The majority of my work has been in C and C++, but I know a bit of Java too. I’ve been a guest editor for CVu and had articles published in Linux Format and O’Reilly.

I’m a YTT 200-hour yoga teacher and I am (very) slowly working towards my YTT 500.

I used to be an overworked, stressed, disorganised hoarder who couldn’t focus on anything for very long. And then I found minimalism. I have written about it a lot on this website, the process I went through to escape from the chaos of too much stuff, and how it has changed my life. If you want a deep dive into how to declutter your own life, I have a freely available 37-part video course available here.

As of August 2024 I have 35lbs of weight to lose. You can follow my journey on my YouTube channel. I’m on a path to changing the food we eat at home to 100% UPF (ultra-processed food) free. It’s as painful as it is enjoyable, and I will be sharing a lot more about this going forward.

I’m also a keen writer. I took a very long writing break after the novel I wrote at the age of 23 failed to make it onto the bestseller shelf of WH Smith. Or in fact any shelf anywhere. I had an unpublished novel long-listed for the Mslexia Women’s Novel Prize in 2015, and the television that currently stands in my living room was the first prize in a short story competition that I entered at the last minute.

I’ve been blogging on and off for 20 years, at various places. If you’re interested in my old diary-style posts, you can find them all here. Pretty much everything I’ve ever written is on this site. This is my online forever home.

Welcome.