I’ll put this out there, I like Valentine’s Day. I’m not sure that I love it, with the extravagance and the pressure, but I like it. The first connection between St. Valentine’s Day and romance in literature, that I am aware of, is in Chaucer’s The Parlement of Foules. For that reason, in the first Valentine’s card that I sent … Read More

In years gone by, before I became a mother and chose to stay at home with my children, I was a Human Resources professional. In fact I still dabble in that role on an unpaid basis now, but that’s for a different post! One thing that was regularly at the centre of my work was a keen interest in different … Read More

Chief was six last year and it felt like we entered a new gear of parenthood. Gone were the majority of the chunky plastic role play toys and ride on vehicles, in came the remote controlled cars, Nerf guns and superheroes. Picture books are slowly being replaced (save for some very special ones) with the likes of Roald Dahl, J … Read More

“It will wash.” That must be the most common phrase that have I used since becoming a parent. Sick all over my jumper, “it will wash” I’ll say. Chocolate squashed into the sofa, the words “it will wash” roll easily off my tongue as I strip the covers and take them, underarm, to the washing machine. Shoes covered in mud, … Read More

Our children love learning, and my husband and I love to watch and learn with them. Looking at the world through their eyes: the wonder of an aeroplane, the delight of a racing car, the quiet calm of sheep in a field or the soft song of the dawn chorus. It hasn’t come as a surprise therefore that now Chief is … Read More

The Little Princess Trust provide real hair wigs, free of charge, to boys and girls across the UK and Ireland who have lost their hair as a result of illness or from the treatment of illness. They ask for a minimum of seven inches because surprisingly around four inches can be lost through the knotting (wig making) process. Donations of … Read More

Last week it was Cervical Cancer Awareness Week in the UK, so perhaps it was rather fitting that on Friday I received my smear test results. This year, as in the past, I was fortunate. No abnormal cells were detected in my sample. Despite never having the worry of an abnormal result I still make an appointment every time the … Read More