16/07/2026
A Letter to Lily
On Sunday, I’m jumping on a plane to fly to my beloved Denmark. For those of you that are new here, you may not know that my love affair with Denmark started way back in 1995, when I was an exchange student for a year. Since then, Denmark has shaped my whole life - from my career and passion in design; to our life values and the way we bring up our children - Denmark has taught me so much.
Every year, I tend to land for Design Week with a detailed schedule, not wanting to miss a thing!
This trip, however, is different and a little bitter sweet, as I am taking my daughter Lily with me and saying ‘Farvel’ to her, as she embarks on her own year long experience at a Danish School, doing year 10.
We will miss her terribly, but deep down we love that she is pushing herself out of her comfort zone and challenging her independence. She will grow, learn Danish, gain confidence and no doubt, so many more experiences and connections along the way.
Back in 1995, things were a wee bit different for me, with no internet and rare, expensive phone calls. I wrote a letter to my family every week, as did they and lots of my friends too.
Imagine dedicating a few hours a week to writing letters in 2026?! The love and gift of time my family and friends gave to me was so special.
I have never really connected the dots, but maybe my love of language, the power of words and being super emotive, were all seeded in Denmark? For those gifts, I am super grateful.
Today, I went down a rabbit hole, reading my diary and some of the letters I have kept - Lily read some of them too- the homesick ones; the too busy to write ones; the making friends and finally understanding Danish ones - it was pretty special to share this with her today.
Denmark is a place she has visited many times and feels somewhat like home to her too, so it gives us comfort knowing she has family and friends, and it feels somewhat familiar to her. Her last trip was 8 years ago, when we did a house swap for an absolutely brilliant 3 months in Copenhagen.
More text in comments & Link in Bio to read the 'Letter to Lily' in larger font ;-)