About

Hello.  So you’d like to know a bit more about me!

Well, I moved with my husband and son from London to the Highlands of Scotland in 2004.  Our first year here was very much about setting up home and settling in, but almost instantly we discovered the warmth and generosity of the people in this area.  After the fast pace of London it was a welcome relief to find a gentler lifestyle.  Here people take the time to talk to each other.  It is common to be standing in a checkout queue whilst the assistant is chatting to the customer she is serving, or to be waiting behind a car that has stopped in the middle of the street whilst the driver chats to a passer by.  These are things that would wind people up in London, but up here they are a welcome reminder of the important things in life.

About 6 months after arriving here I found myself looking for an outside interest that would fit in around looking after my 2 year old and provide me with a bit of pocket money.  This is when I discovered Barefoot Books at a parent and toddler group we were attending.  Barefoot Books is an exquisitely beautiful range of children’s books and I fell in love with them instantly, so much so that I felt inspired to become a Barefoot Books Stallholder.  This led me into presenting the books at events in the the Scottish Highlands where I met some really lovely people.  The only problem was that I had children coming to my stall with their loose change asking what they could buy and I hated to see their disappointed faces when there was nothing on the stall they could afford.  So I decided to buy in a few pocket money toys just for them and that is how everything started with Nok On Wood.

Suddenly my whole world was opened up to an amazing array of beautiful wooden toys I never knew existed and I wanted to share them with the world.  So I did, and although I still have some Barefoot Books, the wooden toys have taken over and there isn’t enough room for everything so I now focus solely on the toys.  Over the years the business has steadily grown, but my focus has always been on keeping it small enough to maintain a connection with my customers.  I still enjoy the personal connections that stallholding in the Highlands offers – it’s lots of fun and keeps us inspired so I keep it up and love that I am able to take wooden toys into areas where there is little choice in children’s toys.   The website has undergone some changes with the growth, but again I have tried to keep this very personal with the emphasis of sharing our love of wooden toys with people and offering them as a lifestyle choice rather than just another toy in the toy box.

When we moved up here, one of the parent and toddler groups I attended with my son was at the Moray Steiner School.  This was noticeably different to the other groups.  It offered a warm welcome, a supportive and gentle approach and a soothing rhythm to the morning.  The toys were all made from natural materials and mostly unstructured.  The snack was healthy and the songs and rhymes we learned were charming.  So when it came to considering pre-school for my son Moray Steiner School was my first choice.  After three years in Kindergarten he moved up to Class 1 and we both continue to love the school and the approach to education.

As my son moved out of Kindergarten I moved in.  I took a job as an assistant and have been there ever since.  Working with young children is challenging and requires me to constantly strive to be the best I can be, but it is also a joy and it pays the school fees!.  As I write we have a group of ten children who are all a delight and being around them and the school inspires and fulfills me in so many ways.  Each day is a learning experience and the more I learn about the Waldorf curriculum and discover what nourishes the children the more it feeds into my work with Nok On Wood and being a mum.

At the time of writing this my life focus is on bringing my experiences together and sharing my personal journey through Nok On Wood Lifestyle.  My aim is to create a community atmosphere here and I would really like it to be more interactive, so I warmly welcome any comments and suggestions – it would be good to have another perspective than my own.

I hope that’s enough to satisfy your curiosity and that you enjoy reading Nok On Wood Lifestyle.

With blessings from, Cheryl