birthday

Happy Birthday Boy Two

April 15, 2020 By Ellen 2 Comments

Hurrah for me – today I got my second child to technical adulthood. Boy Two turned 18. I’m a tremendous mother, only one more to go. This will undoubtedly be a memorable birthday because instead of the usual, ahem, first drink in a pub, he’s having a zoom party in his room. He did, however, […]

On 20 years of keeping the kids alive…

September 30, 2019 By Ellen 2 Comments

It’s 20 years – yep, 20 – since this young man arrived in my life. That’s more or less a generation, and probably a reason to celebrate. I am a fantastic mother – I’ve been keeping children alive for two decades. Admittedly, when this chap first fixed me with his fierce gaze, I had such […]

On a journey south and a delightful deceit… things I’ve learned lately

February 17, 2019 By Ellen 1 Comment

Write a post every day, she said (to herself, cos no one else cares). Let’s see how that goes then! And here we are a week later, but it’s been a good – and educational week. Here are the things I learned. The long way round still gets you there… (Also known as, confusingly, only […]

More things I learned: birthday edition

June 14, 2018 By Ellen Leave a Comment

Writer’s blockage would be nearer the mark. It’s what I feel when there’s so much going on in my head that I don’t know where to begin, where the loose end is to start the unravelling. More in common with road-trip constipation (you know what I mean) than a wistful gaze at a pristine page. […]

Things I’ve learned from my children – the party version

May 5, 2018 By Ellen Leave a Comment

It’s party time. Another rite of passage lately – the teenage party. The campaign began months before, a subtle and effective manoeuvring of the notion from a slight suggestion to an in-the-calendar fact. I tried to think of a reason to say no, but there really wasn’t one. The teen in question and his friends […]