Having given up on self-improvement long ago and made peace with the inevitable fallibility of my being, something rather unsettling seems to be happening to me lately. Against my wishes, and indeed, without trying, I am changing. 

I’m not referring to the wrinkles around my eyes or the greys in my hair – that too I’ve made peace with – but something more disconcerting. I am going animal friendly. Whilst not wanting to offend anyone who has pets, I have never been in favour of them personally, and for many years my allergy to furry creatures served me well in that I had a perfectly acceptable excuse to stay away from cats, dogs, horses, rabbits and guinea pigs. Continue reading →

Is January always as bleak as it has been this year? Is it always this dark, cold and depressing? Are people always this rude, callous and xenophobic in January? Either way, I’m holding out for a better February.

In just over a week Britain will finally liberate itself from 40 years of oppression and to celebrate this historical moment, people will descend on Parliament Square, dressed as colourful unicorns, dancing the night away. It’s a shame we can’t get Big Ben to bong on that momentous night, but oh well, at least we’ll have a fabulous bonfire with all those EU flags going up in flames. Continue reading →

It was Saturday afternoon, and my husband was out with our nine-year-old. The weather was grey and windy, but at least it wasn’t raining…yet. I knocked on the teenager’s door and, granted permission, I entered her cave. 

My daughter was sitting cross-legged on her bed with headphones on and a sketchbook and pen in her hands. 

“I’m going for a walk on the heath, do you want to come?” I asked.

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. 

“OK, as long as I don’t have to talk,” she said and pointed to her headphones. 

“Fine,” I said, no more inclined to engage in conversation with a mono-syllable teenager, than she was listening to a lengthy monologue performed by her middle-aged mother. Continue reading →

Happy new year everyone! The 2020s started with a roar and a bang, proving after only nine days that it’s not merely the new and improved 2010s. Just look at the evidence thus far: Continue reading →