I have spent a lot of time with my 95 year old mother of late and know the value that she brings to my life. I also know how tough Mother’s Day can be for those who are missing their mothers; those who are missing their children; those with mothers who are unwell and those…

It is hard navigating through these mid-life years with humour and irreverence, but now I need to negotiate some additional hurdles – namely social etiquette and punctuality. I fear I have been reprogrammed to become quite rude over the past two years. I am now noticing my inability to be punctual, my struggle to be…

After a half term trip to London, I consider a third change of career – or a third ‘pivot’ as those folks on social media would have us say. I am toying with the idea of becoming a mudlark- someone who scavenges in river mud for items of value. Stay with me on this; naturally I would…

Half term break and surely it is time for Dora the Explorer to be treated to a Bank Holiday car valet; she has been very, very patient and looks a little grubby. On Radio 4 I hear someone describing an app which will apparently count the number of bugs collected on Dora’s number plate during…

Funny old week in the world of teaching; students and teachers have all been in need of some additional TLC. Non-assessment assessments (‘call them what you like Miss, they are exams’) and lethargy about booking a ballgown or tan when the prom could get cancelled for the second year in a row, have made this…

I am tasked with preparing an on-line assembly for students to highlight the start of Mental Health Awareness week 2021, but find myself feeling quite hesitant about this. You may find this surprising , but I will try to explain why. As you know, I am an enthusiastic wellbeing advocate, encouraging people to take care…

I had the pleasure of taking my mother on a real shopping trip yesterday, and it was during this excursion that I realised our takeaways from ‘Life in the Age of Corona’ – a screenplay unlikely to make it to the small screen because no-one will want to see it – are very, very different….

Annually I am gifted the opportunity to join with yoga teachers from around the country – internationally even – in a pleasingly flexible ‘huddle’. We up-skill, support and just generally enjoy a weekend of good yogic banter. Two years ago we would have all descended on the Somerset workshop where we initially trained, but since…

The primate community has hit the headlines positively over the last few weeks; I think we have things to learn from this monkeying around. Firstly I read that a Zambian chimp called Julie has started a trend in her primate community by swanking around with a long blade of grass dangling from her ear for…

I am a very nosey person. Fact. I have never been able to help myself earwigging in on strangers’ conversations and being far too inquisitive about other people’s lives. This week I feel I have excelled – even by my own high standards of shoving my ample nose wherever it is not needed; I have…