/

Warning: some readers may find the content of this post uncomfortable or triggering. My eldest daughter turns 18 tomorrow. That sentence needs a paragraph all of its own, partly because I do not feel old enough to have an adult child in the home (does any parent?) but mostly because there have been times over the last three years when I didn’t think we would be celebrating her 18th birthday. Why? Because I wasn’t sure she would even be here. Since the age of 14 (she would almost certainly say younger but this was the first time it was brought to my attention) she has struggled with mental health issues. Her 16th and 17th birthdays were both shrouded in a… View Post

You may also enjoy:

/

I like to think that I am pretty okay with the extra grey hairs and fine(ish) lines that seemed to appear overnight once I hit 40. Back to reality, they are often the first thing I see when I look in the mirror and not in a good way. I swing between trying to keep myself looking as youthful as possible and embracing the ageing process. Is it Vanity? Many of you will know that I decided to have my teeth fixed last year (still a work in progress but I’m now only 6 weeks away from the finish line). It is something I deliberated over for years as I am all too aware that although the dentist had recommended it… View Post

You may also enjoy:

/

easter tree

March has been an odd one in many respects; we’ve seen snow, rain, sunshine and hail. We’ve been skiing, celebrated Mother’s Day (probably the less said about that the better *grits teeth*) and have endured two weeks of mock exams. I always look forward to the last Friday of the month because it’s my opportunity to share all of the lovely little things that have been happening over the last few weeks. So here are my ‘Little Loves’ for March… Read I have tried so hard to knuckle down with a new fiction read since finishing Eleanor Oliphant, but I’ve failed. I got so far with Matt Haig’s ‘Stopping Time’ but it probably didn’t stand a chance trying to follow such… View Post

You may also enjoy:

/

At 46½ I am officially feeling old. Of course I continue blithely scouring Top Shop for the latest fashion trends and watching Gilmore Girls on repeat, but we all know the truth: I’m much nearer 50 than 40 and the dreaded ‘M’ word is creeping ever closer. You’ve heard ad infinitum about my midlife crisis; more specifically, whether I’m ‘too old for a leather jacket‘ (someone actually came across my blog after typing that into Google the other day *proud face*). In short, I have never taken myself too seriously where age is concerned. Until now. My latest age crisis is in relation to this blog. You see I’m doing that thing again, where I question what someone my age has to offer, feeling… View Post

You may also enjoy:

/

irobot Roomba 980

With three teenagers, two dogs and a business to run, our house is always busy. To use one of my mother’s expressions, it often resembles Clapham Junction and that’s on a good day! I am therefore permanently on the look out for time-saving techniques and my life’s mission is to find the most efficient route to everything. When iRobot asked me if I would like to review their Roomba 980 vacuum cleaning robot, I thought Christmas had come (very) early. I mean, who wouldn’t palm off a job or two to a robot, given half the chance? The Roomba claims to seamlessly vacuum an entire floor whilst you’re out, even commanding it to do so via an app. Too good to… View Post

You may also enjoy: