I took the instruction at school very literally. — When I was four-and-a-half years old, my family and I moved across the globe from the grey winter of Oxford, UK, to the hot, dry yet fertile, and wide open African plains of Tanzania. My first school was in a tiny, single-room building that was purpose-built for the British expat…

The magic was contained in the simplicity of life — Like a tortoise, I had carried everything I owned and everything I needed. Unlike a tortoise, I hadn’t contained it all on my back, but nearly. My little Citroen car was only just powerful enough to tow the little caravan I owned, and the back of that little car was…

What some may know, others may wish to know, and yet others don’t give two hoots. — Hey! Great to have you stop by ;) Pull up a virtual seat and I will put on the virtual kettle for a cuppa. I may or may not have yet read about you, but I guess this is where you get to find out all about me, so here…

Another summer, another drought — Last summer, one of our closest reservoirs dried up so much that you could see the ruined medieval village that sits at the very bottom of it. Not surprisingly, we had district-wide hose pipe bans that kept being extended, and extended further. But none of this came into play until…

And surrounded by sexism — “You’re not too bad for a girl,” the head chef said to me one day. “I beg your pardon?” I said, taken aback. “What did you just say?” “When you first started here, I thought you’d be awful to work with because you’re a girl,” the head chef began to…

Thoughts on allowing myself to become a sponge, like my children. — “By learning you will teach; by teaching you will learn.” — Latin Proverb When our children come into this world, we see their whole lives stretched out before them, and with that, a lifetime of possibility. But not necessarily their possibility. Our possibility to do good things for another human…

A look back at a busy and exciting month in the pub — Happy June to all our wonderful readers and writers! I’m sitting here writing this newsletter under a skylight with bright sunshine streaming through it. It’s a beautiful reminder that my favourite time of year is here and life can feel a little lighter and brighter at last, as long as…

Let’s hear it for fathers, fathering, and everything fatherhood — Parenting is complex. I’ve seen enough, read enough, and experienced enough to know that most parents are far from perfect. Myself included. (I know, hard to believe but true!) But for all its complexity, I believe this is the very reason we make a point of marking specific days to…

I’ll take mine strong and crumbly please — I like my cheese like I like my men — strong. Okay, that was a bit cliché but it sounded good. And I think my father would approve, though he’d personally just stick with the cheese. (I do like good brains and a good sense of humour too, FYI.) Of…