This week has been trying. It’s been a week filled with the rhetoric of quasi political debate, lots of it based largely on a combination of tabloid fear-mongering, a mash-up of Internet memes and something vaguely intelligent that some bloke on C4 news said, or was it that comedian on the Jack Dee panel show? When it got to the point where people were paying more attention to David Beckham I started to get a little concerned, but each to their own. Regardless of which side you fall on, voting in the EU Referendum seems ultimately to have come down to gut instinct or thinly-veiled fascism. Continue reading “There’s no Pexit for Parenting”
Trust
On motherhood, middle-age and stuff…
Three things about Barcelona
How did I get to this age without ever visiting Barcelona?
That was my prevailing thought during our three-day stay. I love Barcelona; properly love it in the way you love a thing that you know immediately to be flawed and troublesome at times and yet remain inexplicably tied to. It’s an exhausting city that will leave you equally inspired and frustrated, wanting more, wishing you spoke the language, and planning your next trip before you’ve even checked in for your return flight. Continue reading “Three things about Barcelona”
A love letter
Dear Teacher,
You know that moment at parents’ evening when you look up from your register and clock me sitting, waiting, trying to peer around the pushy parents stood directly in front of me who are determined to see you first (even though it’s not their time slot)? Continue reading “A love letter”
How to get the kids out of the door in the morning…
Three kids; one shower (well two, but only one that anyone seems to find acceptable to use in the morning), and a complex fusion of personalities – at least two of whom are most definitely NOT morning people (I’m one of them) makes the daily routine in this house an absolute nightmare. Continue reading “How to get the kids out of the door in the morning…”
Project Flop
*** UPDATE – See bottom of post for Flop MkII – my second attempt turned out much better than the first! ***
For those of you who may not know, I’m the ‘voice’ behind the twitter feed for the wonderful, Bafta-nominated, children’s animated TV series, Bing. It’s such a lovely project to be involved in and something I’ve been deeply passionate about since I first fell in love with Bing, in front of a monitor at the offices of Bing’s creators, Acamar Films, in Camden. Continue reading “Project Flop”
Connectivity
I really must start to do this more often. If nothing else to save myself the 15 minutes resetting my password every time I try and log in.
Earlier this week I felt inspired to write, even had one of those car journeys where an entire post forces its way into your head, spidering its way along a dozen or more pathways but making absolute sense (in a slightly random way). Naturally I didn’t capitalise on that moment and now I’m left trying to claw back the thoughts and write something vaguely sensible. Continue reading “Connectivity”
Mummy, what’s your hobby?
Last night, as I sat covered with children on the sofa, one of them asked what my hobby is.
And I realised that I don’t have one.
And that bothered me.
One of them piped up: “Reading mummy, that’s your hobby”. And it is, to a degree. But I don’t dedicate nearly enough time or energy to it to make it a real hobby. I no longer read the kind of books that will challenge and inspire me – I read fluff that stops my brain from torturing me about why I’ve not cut the grass or vaxed the carpets.
It used to be writing before my carefree carvings gave way to corporate creations and earning a living from doing the thing I love. And that’s good, it’s better than good in fact, but it leaves me lacking the time to dedicate to just throwing words at a page for the sake of it.
I can’t honestly call this a return to blogging – I’ve just published one post that was actually a draft that I stumbled upon, written over a year ago. But in doing so I remembered something vital. That I love this. That it’s self-indulgent nonsense, and that’s okay. My children want me to return to blogging so they can get ‘free stuff’. I’ve assured them that ain’t happening, but regardless I might try and do more of it, to clear my head of the clouds of untapped thoughts, to vent, to laugh, and to reflect occasionally… That’s got to be a good thing.
Want to win a family day ticket to the CLA Game Fair?
If you’ve been keeping up with me on twitter, you’ll know that I’ve spent the last couple of years immersed in the angling world, publishing this book, and producing the TV series Fishing in the Footsteps of Mr. Crabtree.
We’re knee-deep in our prep for series 2 right now, and currently running a National Talent Search to find 6 young anglers to star in the new series. As part of that we’re going to be at the biggest country fair in the WORLD – the CLA Game Fair from July 19-21st, sponsoring the House of Fishing and taking the Quest for ‘Peter’ on the road.
Why not join us? Continue reading “Want to win a family day ticket to the CLA Game Fair?”
Revolution – is it just me?
Every now and again a programme comes along that sweeps the nation up on its zeitgeisty wave, setting twitter alight and giving us all something to pretend to do on a Friday night. On paper this is what you’d expect from Revolution, currently airing on Sky 1. It’s got all the elements there; post-apocalytic landscape, families torn asunder, drama, excitement, violence, the teasing out of a Romeo / Juliet style romance, a pinch of The Hunger Games and, it would appear, the entire Lost score reworked – hey, why not recycle?
Revolution is from the makers of Lost and maybe this is why it isn’t touching the zeitgeisty nerve that it deserves to. I watched the first 3 million series of Lost before completely losing the will to live, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. It’s not that I don’t think that J. J Abrams doesn’t make good, escapist TV but more than I don’t have the mental energy to stick with something that’s NEVER going to reach an explanation. Continue reading “Revolution – is it just me?”