Team Bundance in training I wrote this in 2012, but it’s sports day again this week… To my left a woman in running shorts – bare, muscled calves twitching to be off. Taller than me by a head. On the right the short-haired mum has pulled off her floral blouse to reveal a running top […]
Advice for would-be family camper
At first glance, camping is wonderful. It’s cheap, it’s simple, it fosters adventure and togetherness and – if photos are to be believed – everyone doing it is grinning like an idiot. And, at some levels, this is true, but only if you do it right. Camping is incredibly complicated, stressful and unpleasant if you […]
Things I learned from skiing in Scotland
On Saturday, Boy Two discovered that the strings attached to his snowboarding lessons were that he had to accompany his mother on trips to Glencoe when it suited her. “Really?” He said opening one eye. “Maybe later.” It was early o’clock on a Saturday and he had big plans with a box set and some […]
School shoes: Things I learned from being in charge of a centipede*
Show me the Monets
The shame… “Oh no, madam. The Monets are at Kelvingrove, we’ve got Manets, and Degas and lots of other stuff. But if it’s Monets you want, you’ll need to go elsewhere,” the lady with the badge at the Burrell Collection said gently. But her kindness didn’t soften it, Boy Three’s face fell. We were crushed. […]