I refuse to believe you get fussier as you get older more experienced (we’ve banned the “o” word in our house due to occasional bouts of melancholy). I mean it’s true that answering the question, “Can I get you a cup of … Continue reading Tea and Other Transforming Things
We’re climbing the Malvern Hills, and I’m wheezing like a catfish. I briefly consider whether dropping dead on a narrow path between trees in sight of the summit, is a good way to go. An action exit, so to speak, … Continue reading Hills and giving thanks on All Hallows Eve
It was the biggest summer since we’d grown sunflowers from seed. I’d got a new job, my daughter got great exam results and two days later she was going to be a bridesmaid for the first time. These things in … Continue reading The Unexpected Cost of Celebration
So it wasn’t the best weather, and it wasn’t the best place. The windscreen wipers squeaked double-time all the way there and there was rain on and off all week. It was cold. The upstairs shower didn’t work and the … Continue reading A lifetime of holidays and I’m still learning…
I am one of those people who sometimes puts things down and can’t find them again – lesson plans, cheques, small children. I once left my son in the meat aisle in a supermarket while I popped round the corner … Continue reading Things I’ve lost and the art of growing down
Now I know I am a skinflint. I can’t help it. Actually I didn’t used to be before I was married. I was the kind of person who would put unopened bank statements in the cupboard just in case there … Continue reading Smug Painted Toes and the Smile of God
It’s Bank Holiday Monday. As we wander round the shop, alongside people in shorts with trolleys of plants and barbecues, and kids clutching garden toys, my husband whispers, “The older I get, the more I think we’re not like most … Continue reading The Humble Transistor – how to shed forty years.
I’ve been struggling with semantic honesty lately. Don’t know why, but I’ve found myself analysing what we say and imagining what would happen if we took each other at our word. For an English person this could be social suicide … Continue reading How Merry is Yours so Far?
I am guest-blogging for my friend, Fran Hill, with my latest post about windows. You can catch it here at – http://ilurveenglish.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/reasons-to-look-out-of-windows-guest.html Have a look around her site while you’re there. It will brighten your day no end… … Continue reading Reasons to look out of windows
The international happiness expert (yes, there is one), Paul Dolan, was on Radio 4 this morning. He says true happiness is finding the balance between things we find pleasurable and things we find purposeful. He cited having children as an … Continue reading Habits of Delight and the Myth of Joyful Parenting?
