Written three years ago and – whoosh – that time has gone in a flash. How many years did you spend watching the clock? Tick tock. Waiting for school to finish… today, this week, forever. When I’m older I can… drive, stay out all night, eat as much chocolate as I like, all at once, […]
Things I’ve learned from my children – the party version
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 […]
Things I’ve learned since spring sprung
Months and months of cold and damp (and snow too), then all of a sudden, there’s bird on the wing and grass riz. My favourite season because, just for a while, I can persuade myself that there’s going to be an endless period of wearing shorts and loafing about during long balmy evenings. Balmy, I said. […]
Why I love getting the sleeper
My favourite way to travel to London is by sleeper train. It gives me a sense of how Harry Potter felt when he pushed his trunk and owl-laden trolley into the other world of platform 9 3/4. Instead of being pursued by a vast bearded man on an enchanted motorbike though, I just need […]
How can you cure a rising inflection?
And that is a question. It has a question mark at the end, giving it permission to rise when spoken. However, it’s getting confusing so many speakers seem unclear about whether they need an answer so let their voices pop upwards. Now, apparently, our young are all in the grip of a serious affliction… the […]