In a bun dance

If I'm going to get something, I usually get it in spades - luck (both kinds), children, clutter, dirty laundry, bright ideas, daft ideas...

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Advice for myself as a first-time buyer

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While in some respects, I’d sell a kidney (and my children) to be the age I was when I bought my first home, the thought of having to get on the property ladder from scratch in the current climate would not thrill me. I was 18 when I got the keys for my first home. […]

Pulling together to move forward with transparency…

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And other equally irritating phrases. I was directed, the other day, to John Rentoul’s round up of banned expressions. A splendid celebration of the cliche, the slackardly sayings and the downright nasty newspeak – the kind of phrases that induce indigestion. His streaming heap includes “scalable”, “baby steps” and “scientifically proven”. To his linguistic gravy […]

A room with a view – make the most of yours

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Do you wish your home had better views? It’s always nice to check into a hotel on holiday and gaze out of the window at the garden, the sea, or the beach. Then, when we get home, we’re disappointed by the view that awaits us. If you’d like to have more of a room with […]

Shitty-gritty: The bottom line on parenting

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I wrote this a couple of years ago and, mercifully, it’s not so much a part of everyday life. Though it can, erm, bob up occasionally. However, I thought it worth another airing if for no other reason than to reassure those of you with crap under your nails that it does get better. Poo […]

Quick And Easy Ways To Transform The Kitchen

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Kitchens seem to lose their sparkle far more quickly than we would like. After all, the last time you renovated that space it took two weeks to complete. It was like a nightmare of a building site for most of that time. But when the contractors moved out, the kitchen was so beautiful. What a […]