(Part 2) Bit of a play on some very old-fashioned words to a hymn there … One of my strongest memories of living and working in Namibia is of waking up just after dawn and hearing small children a-singing. These were the lucky ones who had a school to go to – walking long distances […]
Charity *did* begin at home …
DOES CHARITY MATTER? (Part 1) Should we care about the way we talk to each other as adults – and to our children – when it comes to the subject of ‘charity’ and ‘giving’? When our schools send requests for a few quid so that our kid can dress up as a certain bear/sport a […]
Bicycles … Yorkshire … Africa?
Me. Fresh as a daisy! Yeah, right. Back from sub-saharan Africa … a houseswap … a work-related project … and a ‘holiday’ (employing inverted commas here because is it *ever* a holiday when accompanied by humans under the age of 21 who happen to be your own, delightful offspring?) So much to report on and […]
Stop Staring At My Chest!
Now that I’ve got your attention… This is a semi-serious post. Yesterday I began a discussion with my daughter about ‘eye contact.’ I was trying to pre-empt some of the social misdemeanours that she might commit when we return to southern Africa. The thing is, my lass has *the* most incredible staring prowess. When we […]
Word Play
SCENARIO ONE Child (aged 9): Mum – why can’t I read the book that you wrote? Me: You know damn we…er I mean… you know why, sweetie. It’s got some swear words in it. Child: What? Like, you’re worried I’m going to go and repeat them to my teacher or something? Me: (wearily) Yes. Something […]
When Writing Gets Dangerous
One day, I decided to write to someone on death row, USA. This wasn’t like one of my usual reckless fripperies (which tend to be more along the lines of ‘shall I risk putting green underpants into a whites wash?’ or ‘if I grate some vegetables into my daughter’s pasta sauce, will she notice?’) No. […]
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