My Thoughts on #BML16, for what it’s worth

Well, it happened. I went to #BML16, the conference formerly known as Britmums. And although my dreams of making my way up a lengthy red carpet past hordes of paparazzi whilst TV crews vie for my attention, as I imagine is the lot of the superstar blogger, are as yet unfulfilled; and I am yet…

The Ten Most Middle Class Things Ever

Once, whilst visiting a popular picnic spot with my brother, he felt the need to pause a conversation mid-sentence and gasp in awe at a seemingly very ordinary group of people making their way across the immaculate lawn.  An army of green canvas folding chairs, wicker picnic hampers and Prosecco bottles crossed in front of…

When You Just Can’t Think of Anything to Write

I once read an interview with the great Caitlin Moran, where she said that she found it easier to write when she had a number of different writing projects to complete than when she was writing one 800 word column per week. Now I am not about to compare myself to Caitlin Moran (OK, I…

A Little Visit From The Parenting Police

M’am, We dropped in to see you earlier, but it appears that you weren’t in.  Probably out working, I imagine.  Shouldn’t you be at home like a proper mother?  Oh no of course, we forgot, you are a single mother.  We wouldn’t want the likes of you eating up the welfare budget with your fecklessness…

What I Have Learned in One Week of House Hunting

As the old adage goes, it’s better to have the worst house in a good street, than the best house in a bad street. Your garden might be full of what the council terms “bulky waste,” and your doors may be falling off their hinges, but you’ll have the best schools, the best parks, the best…

Boys and their Toys

I had high hopes for my son. I imagined that he would be the next John Stuart Mill. Studying the classical languages by the age of three, and a master of the ancient Greek philosophers by eight; most importantly he would be a visionary, a man ahead of his time, a frontrunner in the fight…

Ten Weird Things About Having a Newborn

Ah, the newborn stage. Fluffy booties, scratch mittens and squidgy babies sleeping with their arms above their heads.  Congratulation cards, helium balloons and fussing relatives. Blind panic, sleepless nights and soreness in areas you never knew you had. We all know about these things, the hallmarks of a new baby.  We all know it’s not…