When life becomes a little overwhelming, and the past threatens to interrupt the peace of the present, I go for a walk. I was on such a walk when I saw a tree stretching right across the path. It must have fallen many, many years ago: the ground is settled, and the earth has built […]
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Are books your bag?
It both shocks and saddens me when I hear that a third of all parents never read to their children, or that the number of bookshops in the UK has halved in just seven years. Set that against the terrifying speed at which libraries are closing, and the rise of ebooks versus print, and suddenly […]
The dangers of unprotected sex
Much has been debated about the benefits of providing early sex education to children, but new research has indicated a worrying gap in the system. Young couples in their twenties and early thirties are receiving little or no information about the true dangers of unprotected sex. This post aims to raise awareness. Before you drop […]
Parenting: quantity, not quality
It’s six-thirty in the evening and my daughter is screaming at me. Her face is red and she can hardly breathe with the exertion of informing me that I’m the ‘worst Mummy in the world.’ Her twin sister has been crying for the last twenty minutes, because I have asked her to tidy up her […]
Why do women diet?
I put on a frock today, in anticipation of a posh lunch at the in-law’s golf club. My husband, also readying himself in the bedroom, eyed my lacy-underwear-and-stocking combination appreciatively – right up to the point where I covered it up with nipple-to-knee neoprene. ‘What on earth is that?’ he said. ‘Pants,’ I replied curtly, not least […]
Great opportunities don't pay the bills
The Gloucester Citizen is looking for a new columnist. It’s a nice gig: 350 words, once a week. Simple, regular work – the freelancer’s dream. Oh, but here’s the catch: there’s no pay. This won’t stop dozens – perhaps hundreds – of people spending time on carefully crafted ‘competition entries’, in the hope of winning […]