Other

A course I was due to teach last week was cancelled at the last minute and I was left with an empty day in my diary. Before I could fill it with something terribly productive, such as pretending to write my novel, or making a vague attempt to cull the ironing pile, I had a […]

Today I received an invitation to a PR event at Spitalfields. I have no idea where Spitalfields is. I don’t even know what Spitalfields is, although the name suggests something quite revolting. I don’t know because the invitation didn’t say. I find it very hard to swallow the arrogance of people who don’t feel the need […]

The twins have gone to stay with grandparents for the weekend and the house is blissfully, eerily, quiet. Is this what it’s like – having an only child? Getting ready for school without distraction, without cries of ‘that’s my toothbrush!’ and ‘get out of my room!’ Would it always be this quiet with one? Or […]

For some time my husband was convinced that daughter number two had a squint. ‘Look!’ he’d say urgently, and I’d whip round in an attempt to catch her eyes crossing. I always missed it. Eventually, when we were sitting round the table for supper one day, I realised Georgie was looking at her fish fingers […]

Last night’s wine-tasting at the WI proved to be our most popular event yet. This is perhaps no surprise when you consider that the tea-tray at our monthly meetings generally sulks forlornly in the corner. Our thirty or so members tend instead to opt for wine to lubricate the evening. The ‘Oxford Butler’ coped admirably […]

Just one of the sensational decorations createdby our stylist Cristina Colli It would be terribly crass of to review one’s own literary festival, but as the last six months have been pretty much dedicated to organising it, I can’t let Chipping Norton Literary Festival pass without a small acknowledgement.  Chipping Norton has a population of […]