Learning the ropes as a parent And do you care? If someone from school has to ring you up, who do they as for? Do they ask for so-and-so’s mum or do they use your name. Do they always get it right? If you the kind of family where everyone has the same surname, then […]
The paradox of being ladylike
Transatlantic Blonde‘s Feminist Friday prompt is myth busting. In the spirit of taking a theme and largely ignoring it, I’d like to explore the contradiction of our ideals of femininity. So what’s feminine? How do you become lady-like? Possibly the best medium to explain this is, obviously, musical theatre. The orchestra strikes up and the […]
Fireman Samantha and her pretty, pretty pink helmet
Last Sunday, pandering to Boy Three’s Fireman Sam fixation, we visited our local fire station which was taking part in the Doors Open Day scheme. There were fire engines, Blaze the Bear being rescued from a tower, a bouncy castle (who knew fire stations had them?), avuncular firefighers, corpulent firefighters and, even, some mildly decorative […]
Men Behaving Reasonably – sitcom women fight back
Do you remember Terry and June? Margo and Jerry? Victor Meldrew and Margaret? Of course you do… Then there was Basil, Sybil and the rest… It was the stuff of Saturday evenings on the sofa. The family gathered enjoying time together. Let’s face it, there wasn’t a choice then – if you didn’t like what […]
Violence against women – Viagra for the rapists
Today’s theme at Transatlantic Blonde’s Feminist Friday is violence against women. There are reports that Colonel Gaddafi has been dishing out Viagra to his troops so that they can rape to order. This sickening news has marched round and round in my head all week until it has worn a deep uneasy path. I’ve been […]