Do you remember the years before kids? When spontaneity was more than just a difficult word to spell and now was as good a time as any… Back then eating out was just part of life – see funky new restaurant, go there, dine. My pre-baby self no doubt imagined sharing these culinary delights with […]
Family adventures: ghyll scrambling in Cumbria
The 15 biggest time-wasters of modern life
National Museum of Scotland – brilliant but too big
Yet another phase of Boy One’s forthcoming 16th birthday took us to Edinburgh and the huge museum on Chambers Street. He’s into history – period irrelevant. Boy Three is doing the Celts at school and he was chuffed. Boy Two is largely interested in dramatic sighs, sneering and eye-rolling, venue irrelevant. And so we set […]
Talking about autism: an agenda for mirth
The number of children diagnosed with Aspergers or other autism spectrum disorders seems to be growing. A primary teacher friend told me she had two such kids in her class this year, but that one was about average. When Boy One was first noticed for his differences, it was still a scary prospect – no […]




