This week I went with friends on a day course to a craft bakery, to learn how to make bread. With a flick of a dirty t-towel and a wipe of his nose the baker, Aidan, demonstrated how to mix dough, in a plastic box, from a pound shop. The word ‘roughly’ was used a lot; …
The Great British Bake Off vs a day with Aidan: killing the 1950s for good Read More »
Yesterday evening I was laid in bed watching the BBC2 Culture Show programme about Hilary Mantel on iplayer. Her writing is simple and uncluttered but gets to the heart of things. Her Man Booker Prize winner ‘Wolf Hall’ is one of the best books I have ever read. I was enjoying listening to her talk about …
The Pain of Infertility – How Hilary Mantel Got to the Heart of it Read More »
Still reeling from a difficult week which culminated in my son throwing his shoes at me and calling me a t**t, I sought some solace with a friend, who was also in need of a laugh and we went to see I Don’t Know How She Does It. The film met it’s objective in that we did …
I Don’t Know How She Does It – so awful it’s funny Read More »
After several years of struggle we were lucky enough to get help from a brilliant social worker specialising in fostered and adopted children. If I could boil his message down into one easily digestible mouthful it was this: spend every moment you can with your children, it will help them to feel secure and will …
Let Them Eat Baked Beans – is there something in the UNICEF report for us all? Read More »
As a battle-hardened parent of two adopted children (my husband Rob and I adopted from UK social services in 2002) I watched the documentary on BBC 2 ‘Adopting Abroad: Saira’s Story’ with mixed feelings. I identified with Saira and her husband Steve’s yearning to complete their family. Yet I felt uneasy with her insistence on finding a baby amongst those left by poor …
A beautiful friend once complained to me how difficult life can be for the highly attractive. Apparently it is akin to being rich; one tends to be judged on one’s bountiful gifts and not on one’s inner qualities. It was hard to dredge up any feelings of sympathy. I was reminded of this moment when I listened to Woman’s …
