Blog
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Surviving parenthood…
It’s often said, and it’s true. You need nerves of steel to be a parent. All those little day-to-day situations you have with kids – Put your shoes on, please… no, we can’t take the cat… because it’s raining and you’ll catch cold barefoot… please leave the cat alone… okay, your wellies, then… the cat…
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A budgie called Balthasar…
So the new princess is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. A tactful choice that – presumably – pleased everyone in the family. I’m glad they included Diana. It isn’t easy, choosing a name for a new arrival, no matter how many legs they have. Many and varied were the discussions in our house before Son 1 arrived.…
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The complete Fifty Shades…
… of being published. Your life is never the same again. Whether you’re an indie writer publishing your own work, or have a traditionally published book, when you pass the point of no return – in my case, signing on the dotted line – you are a different person. And as soon as your book…
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Ghost Cat…
Last week, while rummaging through a miscellaneous selection of old documents in search of my ancient and seldom-used National Insurance Number (which I failed to find), I came across a photo of N and F, neighbours from way, way back. And I remembered Tapsy. This isn’t a happy story, but it’s one that made an…
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The A-Z of Moving House…
Three weeks and counting…. Three weeks on Tuesday, we get the keys to the new flat. That’s the day we check it out with the building company to make sure that the appliances actually work and all the doors fit etc. The builders then have the rest of the month to fix anything that needs…
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Shiva, our rescue dog…
She died on June 18th, 2013, late one stormy night. We’d had her for nine years; Shiva, my first dog, and whether or not she was also my last remains to be seen. They were nine years of contrasts; we had amazing but also terrible times with her – it was a real rollercoaster of…
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Holidays…
We’re right at the end of the (summer) holiday season now, so here are some holiday jokes from my English-teaching joke collection. Just to remind us of those happy times earlier in the year… Sign in a British seaside hotel: ‘Welcome to sunny Brightsea. Please do not take wet umbrellas, raincoats and rubber boots into…
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Why Cornwall?
It’s something a lot of people have asked – why is The Cold Cold Sea set in Cornwall, when there’s such a lot of even colder sea back home in Scotland? The answer is easy. Think beach holidays in the UK. (Okay, most people wanting a beach holiday nowadays opt for sunnier, drier and warmer…
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Word Perfect… English as she is spelled…
‘You should give lessons,’ a friend said to me, years ago now. ‘After all, you can speak perfect English.’ I reckoned it was a good idea. Here in sunny Switzerland there are lots of people who want to learn English. So I did the appropriate courses and emerged a while later as an English Language…
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