I honestly don't think that there is a greater benefit of blogging than watching someone you admire and interact with online all the time achieve their ambition of having a book published. Rachael Lucas's brilliant first novel Sealed With A Kiss was so well received that she got a publishing deal and her second novel, Coming Up Roses, is now available for purchases through e-retailers as well as all good book stores. In the lead up to the … [Read more...]
Homemade Two Ingredient Tortilla
Years ago when I discovered two ingredient dough balls, I couldn't have imagined that I would keep Natural Yogurt perpetually available in the fridge for making pizza dough at very short notice. The recipe has adjusted over the years with the addition of some lovely olive oil and seasoning but the dough made from self-raising flour and yogurt is as simple and versatile as you want it to be when you have last-minute playdates to cater for. And … [Read more...]
Not just for boys- Football Mum of the Year.
My girls see football as a boy sport. They know so many boys who are football crazy: they play football at football clubs in school, games at weekends and knock-arounds in break time. But it never occurs to The Girls to join in. So when we were given the opportunity to meet an actual female football player I jumped at the chance to show them that football is not just for boys. We drove to local Petts Wood FC to meet Casey Stoney, one half … [Read more...]
Music, panacea and the Goodmans Oxford Radio
The radio makes all the difference in the morning. Once I'm up and dressed, I head to the kitchen and turn on the music. As the cottage is all on one level, the upbeat songs drift down the hallway to The Girls and bring them into the kitchen to get dressed. It's an early start for us, and in the winter when we leave the house in the dark it's particularly hard so happy music is our soundtrack. They love turning the sound up loud, … [Read more...]
Can do. Kano Computer kids can build themselves.
When I was eight years old, Santa brought our family a ZX Spectrum. A black keyboard with tape deck, it plugged into the TV and changed our lives. That year I got a similarly black "ghetto blaster" which kept me occupied the endless hours when my father and brothers dominated the computer and TV playing American football. I never really got a look in. Fast forward 30 years, I spend a lot of my time on computers but I still have no idea how … [Read more...]
Weekend Project: Paint Sample Pinboard upcycle
Pinboards are, for the main part, plain and functional. You can of course buy fabric covered ones but when I was searching for a large pinboard for each of The Girls' rooms, I couldn't find anything I liked. So I ordered the size I wanted, then headed to my local DIY store for some paint samples for a Paint Sample Pinboard upcycle, if you will. Dimples has explained repeatedly of late that she likes "every colour of the rainbow" rather … [Read more...]
Adopting an Olive Tree with Pomora
An article in a newspaper is responsible for my freezer being filled with cherries. It's the reason I have three cherry stoners, a cupboard filled with jars of jams and compotes, and why I can't eat cherries after the end of July. We rent a cherry tree, the fruit from which we get to pick and keep every July. I spend about four days surrounded by boxes of up to 14kg cherries that need quick processing in the heat of the summer. The point … [Read more...]
