Within an hour of crossing the finish line at my very first half-marathon, I was walking through my front door. The house was silent, DH having wisely taken The Girls to the Beach House for the weekend to allow me to recharge, and I fell into bed fully clothed and slept until noon. The fun started when I tried to get out of bed, and found that I couldn't turn over. The hips that I have spent eighteen long months trying to get back into shape had … [Read more...]
Planting spring bulbs: upcycled crockery
I've been inspired by the amazing Chris Mosler, to get some bulbs planted inside. I can't remember if I've mentioned my total inability to keep anything of the green kind alive for any length of time, but it's true. There are days when I'm amazed and baffled that I've kept a dog, husband and my two precious girls going all this time. But in an effort to up the ante on myself and actually become the Domestic Goddess I've aspired to be for so long, … [Read more...]
The Legacy of child-bearing
I am staring middle-age in the face, fair reader. In about six weeks, I will turn 35, thus marking the precise half-way point between birth and old. Not that I mean dead, but somehow 70 has always been the number in my head that is the very definition of old. I have no doubt that once my parents reach this age, I shall be forced to revise my opinion for fear of offending someone. I actually had to sit down and work out my age the other day … [Read more...]
I am that parent
I wrote a while ago about being 'that parent'. I'm sure you know what I mean. Think back to the days when you didn't have snot on your top, crayons in your handbag and a small child welded to your shin. The heady days when you used to go out to restaurants on the spur of the moment, when you used to be able to take handluggage for a week's beach holiday and you got to go to the loo on your own (and lock the door!) I have clear memories of … [Read more...]
Autumn leaves are falling down
It's peculiar: you leave the country for a week and you miss the seasons changing. Or rather you miss the leaves turning. We got back from Kefalonia last week to find that Britain was expecting a heatwave: it got as warm in our back garden in the last few days as it had been by the pool in the Greek Islands! Which is why The Girls could be found painting in their underwear in the back garden. Painting the leaves falling from the trees. I ask … [Read more...]
How Colin Jackson became my Nearest and Dearest
How not to act when attending a Press Conference with National Media Coverage: 1. Nearly trip up one of the Paralympic Champion's children 2. Walk into a room filled with professional looking people saying "Oh I'm just here for Colin Jackson" 3. Proclaim to a casually-at-ease pair of women "Oh my God, you are THE Susanna and THE Jen. Oh My God, you are BritMums". Without first swallowing the mouthful of cake. 4. Drink two cups of … [Read more...]
Bakestone Baked Goods
Among the many weaknesses I have is a fondness for carbohydrates. I'd like to take this opportunity to lay the blame squarely at my parents' door. If they hadn't spent my formative years dragging me across the globe to exciting and interesting places, I'm sure I'd have gotten over my utter devotion to the sliced white loaf years ago. I can't help it. I get ribbed by friends, all of whom follow the acknowledged advice that you should give your … [Read more...]
