MY BLOG
Dip in and out of my recent thoughts on writing, web design, family and lifestyle
Old sayings in full – have you heard them?
Sayings are passed down through the generations and we're all familiar with them - and many probably entered the English language hundreds of years ago. They’ve been used down the years for adding weight to all sorts of points, usually cautionary ones – “curiosity...
The Crab and Lobster – the restaurant that’s worth travelling 200 miles for
Five years ago, we moved from North Yorkshire to Milton Keynes. We love it (and you can read all about why here: Five years on – my love letter to Milton Keynes) and we’ve never looked back…apart from the longing glances over our shoulders, at the Crab and Lobster...
How to Make Roman Wax Tablets for school – and Stay Sane
Those following the blog will know that the older boy’s current school topic is the Romans, and in particular the Roman invasion of Britain - which I am very much enjoying (see What did the Romans ever do for me?). This week, his homework was to produce an account of...
Dear Becky of 1999: let me explain about blogging
This is me, just before leaving school at the end of the 90s. No idea what the world beyond a tiny cathedral city was all about, shy and introverted, and never for one minute imagining that at age 41, she'd be doing what I did last week - standing in front of 60...
Project of the Month – Handmade by Abbi
I’ve been running a Project of the Month feature on my site Portfolio page since July, and it was the excellent idea of Mr RLC Words to start making more of the bigger projects I’ve done. I also suggested this as a potential idea to everyone at a Blogging Workshop I...
What did the Romans ever do for me?
Much excitement this week – a school trip of my dreams, to the ruins of a villa built by the Romans, including encounters with an actual centurion, and a wealthy banquet recreation, all on the doorstep, right here in Milton Keynes. I jumped at the chance to go as a...
Becoming a School Governor – what you give, and what you’ll get
Next month, my four-year term as a School Governor comes to an end. I loved it. It's been challenging, interesting, and a privilege to learn so much about the place where our children spend so much of their time. Looking back, I wanted to share with you all the...
Phrase My Son Got Badly Wrong (And Some Others)
(My apologies if you are currently eating - you may want to come back later.) My older son announced to me this week that his friend’s dog had been ill. “He says that his dog had verbal diarrhoea – it was coming out of his mouth and nose!” There were clearly a few...
Four things I’m changing on social media
Whether you use social media for business, pleasure or both, you probably know that your posts aren't guaranteed to reach everyone who follows you - and sometimes, it feels like hardly any! The algorithm that they apply to every post – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and...
First Day of School – why is it impossible to predict my children?
Last year, the oldest was making his first big leap between schools – from Infant to Junior. Despite our best efforts it was fraught with worry for him, and as we waited at the gate, he got more and more emotional (read about it here: New School Nerves - All...
Breaking Up for the Summer – that ‘School’s Out’ Feeling
At my last major networking session this month, our fabulous host – Aruna Rao, of Busy Women Networking – brought back some long-dormant memories without even knowing it. Ten minutes before the scheduled end, she encouraged Ali Moore – drawing the raffle – to “hurry...
Life Skills for the Under 10s
A friend of mine mentioned to me a couple of weeks ago that when her children were young, a friend of the family – also a mother to little children – died suddenly in her sleep. That terribly tragic event, my friend said, made her realise the importance of teaching...
My ‘Unicorn’ Blog Post
Mythical beasts are, by their nature, hard to find - it's their thing. And so are blog posts that take flight, and attract more readers than you've ever had before. I managed to find one last week - so what's the secret behind that unicorn post? Last week, it was the...
Five years on – my love letter to Milton Keynes
Five years ago, we had just landed in this most infamous of 20th century town creations – Milton Keynes. Coming from a tiny, ancient cathedral city in North Yorkshire, full of centuries-old charm and rural influences, plenty of people felt able to ‘prepare’ us for...
Blogging: it’s Better than Biscuits
If you’d told me 20 years ago – even five years ago – that I’d be doing what I’ve done this week, I would never have believed you. On Wednesday morning, I went to an SJPoole networking session – not to learn from the visiting expert, but to be her. I delivered an...
The end of term seems so far away – until it isn’t
I realised today I have only two full weeks left of school days before the end of term. That means some serious planning – which probably should have been done a while back – now needs to take place. I’m discovering just how quickly time turns now both children are...
