Late last year, I realised that my body had changed shape, despite my weight remaining the same. Now I know, of course, that bodies change as they age, but genuinely did not expect that a change in shape could be anything other than weight related. So, this realisation was - as they say - a... Continue Reading →

Let me set the scene for you... You're a parent of a pre-teen and you have dogs. Two big dogs. You're looking for somewhere to live and you come across a charming property in the centre of town. One major drawback is that it has no garden, indeed no outdoor space at all. Fortunately your... Continue Reading →

The quick answer is probably not. If I had access to sufficient funds to live without financial worries, there's so much I'd love to do, and many other ways I'd like to spend my time than doing a job. First off, I'd go back to University and see how far I could go up the... Continue Reading →

Kari inspired my previous list, and though I believed I'd emptied that particular bucket, it appears not. This list is shorter, but also includes little bit of what and why about each listed item. Drawings or sketches done in pencil or charcoal - there's something about the light and free nature of them. The life... Continue Reading →

There's an advertisement for VW cars which is currently making me feel the feels - by which I mean disbelief, crossness, anger, frustration - all the negative emotions. The scene opens to the interior of a family sized car where we hear a voiceover saying (words to the effect of) "Amsterdam is a long drive..."... Continue Reading →

As part of our recent move, we've had interactions with a number of service providers. As is now usually the case, we've been prompted to leave a review... Most of the reviews I've left have been good. The companies concerned and their employees all delivered a service somewhere along the spectrum of good to great,... Continue Reading →

I read an article which claimed those children who'd read a lot of fiction during their childhood tended to have 10 traits. Now, I usually take this type of thing with a big dollop of salt, but I was a prolific reader of fiction during childhood, and I do have all 10 traits - so... Continue Reading →

I suspect this question is asked with the intention of uncovering something akin to aspirational routine making. But there's nothing about my first hour which is anything other than just trying to keep it together, for I am very much not a morning person. Let me share with you the following story to demonstrate how... Continue Reading →

We know a guy and, over the years of knowing him and his girlfriend, I have taken to calling him a cocklodger. For those unfamiliar with the term, it means a man who moves in with a woman and doesn't contribute financially to the household pot (as I learned on the Mumsnet forum). His cocklodging... Continue Reading →

For those of you who are either not readers - or just not in a navel-gazing kind of way - I promise there won't be more than a couple of these a year. Is there a book you just couldn't finish?A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. On paper, this book was right up my street...... Continue Reading →