The Friday Club is back. I missed this one by a long way, but wanted to write nevertheless. “There’s something like a line of gold thread running through a man’s words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.” Source I always get emotional when I address things to you, my darling Girls. I always feel that, as I … [Read more...]
Water, water, in your hair: The Gallery
I tell you, the summer holidays seem to be whizzing by now. Even the British weather seems to have co-operated to a certain degree, so we have plenty of good days at the beach with friends and family. Of course the thing about the beach is that, no matter how hard you try to clean it off, the sand welds itself to the parts of your children's anatomy that are most sensitive and hardest to clean. Like the scalp. And the undercarriage, or groovy … [Read more...]
My legacy: rioting is not the answer
I read a post by coffee and curls a while ago that made me think about what my legacy to my children would be. I saved the link and wrote a few ideas in my drafts folder and assumed that I'd get back to it. In fact, every time I saw a 'yoof' in the street behaving like an idiot, screaming and shouting, or drinking something inappropriate in a park, I vow that my child will not grow up to be like that. But the events of the last few days have … [Read more...]
We Love #Lollibop
I frankly don’t know where to start. We’ve never been to a festival before, even before children. I was completely blown away by Lollibop. The highlights for us were seeing Rasta Mouse on stage, getting a shout out from CBeebies’ Sid, the giant sandpit, the man who climber inside a ball (just so wrong) and the massive amounts of dancing we did. The park was incredibly well laid out: there were seating areas every few metres, it seemed. Some … [Read more...]
Why you should plan your funeral.
The Mothership recently lost one of her closest and dearest friends. They met in Cairo a thousand years ago when my parents were still married. Dad worked with Joyce’s husband, Mike and the couple were regular visitors to our home. Their friendship has prevailed through thick and thin, from country to country, so that even though they didn’t get to meet up too often they stayed in touch regularly by long phone calls, postcards and letters (Joyce … [Read more...]
Alice’s Bucket List Update
You may recall a few weeks ago that I wrote about Alice, a Cumbrian teenager who has terminal cancer. Alice put her Bucket List online and it went viral. There were so many lovely people out there who volunteered their services to help Alice achieve some of her dreams. Just look at her list now: Some of my bucket list DONE - To swim with sharks To make everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor To go to Kenya DONE - To … [Read more...]
10 alternative uses for a Pashmina
When the Pashmina craze hit a thousand years ago, I threw away my customary silk neck ties and upgraded as soon as I had the money. I just loved the way it made my employer look so casually elegant, thrown over her shoulders on a summer evening, or wrapped round her neck on winter days. Wonderfully versatile, I thought, and they have been part of my wardrobe ever since. Never have I been more glad of a Pashmina (or cotton-based-copy which I … [Read more...]
