My son started school in September 2020, and I have continued to work part time. I had considered using my new ‘spare time’ when he was at school to either do a course in gardening ... Read More
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By the time this blog is published, we will have moved house. “It’s a big adventure!” we tell the children, describing our new house. We are lucky to be moving about 10m... Read More
It was recently National Work-Life Week and like many employees around the UK, and indeed the world, I’m currently considering how to get the hybrid work-life balance right. It’s a hot to... Read More
One of the parts of me that I have missed since becoming a mum is not spending enough time doing things I love/have previously enjoyed doing. Before children, I used to participate in all manner of a... Read More
Last week I was privileged to be invited to a “What’s the T in LGBT+” event which aimed to “look to amplify the voices of the trans community and its allies so people learn fr... Read More
I lay crumpled in my seat, my head buried in my lap, blocking out all visual evidence of what had just taken place. However, my ears were open and what I could not see, I could hear. Unravelling myse... Read More
Twosecondsjustaminuteoneseconesec.
Unfortunately, my children believe this is a legitimate word. I am constantly distracted. With half an open ear, I tend to overuse this word– to show the... Read More
So once again it’s back to school time - that long summer holiday that filled us with a panic of “how do I arrange 7 weeks of childcare?” has flown by, tricking us with the grey ski... Read More
Yesterday, I finally peeled the summer spreadsheet off the wall, the blank physical absence a reminder of the new space in my life: that, at least for now, daytime timetabling is the responsibility o... Read More
Last April I secured a promotion, after a round of interviews where I had to face some tough competition. I was delighted as it was a new role that had been created to lead the design and implementat... Read More
I can’t lie - it’s not been a good few months. In edited highlights, our lockdown puppy was attacked by a salivating Alsatian that bit him so hard his leg bones snapped. Upsho... Read More
Last autumn, still raw with guilt for prioritising work over my children during lockdown, I vowed to take some additional time off with them this summer. To ensure there was no way that I could... Read More
It feels like the summer holiday has taken up more than its usual share of time and energy this year. In some ways that's good – it took very little time last year because we couldn&#... Read More
When I first heard my daughter, Commander-in-Chief Senior, utter "maybe later?" in response to my emphatic “no” as she reached for the doughnut, I knew that statement was not fr... Read More
When I returned to work after having my son in 2016, I found the process really stressful and upsetting. I had just over a year off work, and I had an amazing time on maternity leave. ... Read More
In my previous post, I looked forward to some nice routine surgery for a break from my work and my life. Unfortunately, my routine surgery became emergency surgery that knocked me out for six weeks. ... Read More
I am writing this on Monday evening, this being the last week that my daughter will spend in Reception. We have been amazed that she has managed a whole school year and bar a few days of self i... Read More
As I write this Boris has just announced that from 19th July masks, and all of the other COVID regulations that we’ve lived with for the best part of 18 months, are finished. I thought that thi... Read More
This pandemic has been raging on now for what feels like forever, but in reality, is a little short of a year and a half or so. During this time, we have followed the rules, stayed inside, stuck to w... Read More
It's been an eventful year and a bit since becoming a new dad, and the fun and new experiences that this brings for everyone involved. Each month has brought a new experience as my son's... Read More
I suspect I won’t be alone in saying there were many days throughout the lockdowns where I felt I failed at everything- work, childcare, home schooling, nourishing and nurturing not just my fam... Read More
At one point the declaration was made that the office was dead - long live WFH! But no sooner did we adjust to that than - hey-ho - the office has been resurrected. Apparently even Google... Read More
As the thought of being crushed to death in those tube-shaped sweatboxes loom large on the horizon for many of us as offices open their glass doors again, I started to reflect on what the latest vers... Read More
My Italian mother broke her femur on 23 June 2020, just as lockdown was easing in Italy. She spent a whole month in hospital recovering, because she lived alone and could not be discharged, as she ha... Read More
And it goes a little something like this…
After 15 months marooned in a scenic but achingly dull corner of rural Wiltshire (devoid of non-supermarket retail, decent coff... Read More
Trigger warning: grief
In a few weeks it will be the 5th anniversary of my mum’s death. Writing that, even now, feels strange and wrong. My mum died suddenly and unexpec... Read More
There's something about the word "meh" that just tickles me. It's so comprehensively dismissive for such a short word, and the sound it makes captures the feeling behind it so... Read More
When we run out of household items these days, the tooth fairy is our go-to banker.
A lover of yoghurt, my five-year son, aka Commander-in-Chief Junior, was upset that none was provided for brea... Read More
My son started school in September 2020. Whilst it was in the midst of global pandemic it felt completely natural and my son adapted extremely well. There was the understandable anxiousne... Read More