Summer is in full swing and so is my hay fever. No matter the treatment, it’s usually no match when opposed by a high pollen count. It was so bad tonight that as the water streamed from my agitated eyeballs, I had to reassure Hanna that I wasn’t balling over the last few minutes of…
Month: June 2018
Weaning is going well…
Despite the apparent evidence above, I’m delighted to report no-one pooed themselves. Even better, no-one vomited everywhere – a welcome feature since we’ve been on a largely food-based plan of attack in recent days. It’s no less messy, though, especially if Mummy doesn’t put the high chair together properly! The water bills are going…
My papers: Why accusations of bias are wrong
It’s all too easy to label a newspaper biased if you don’t like what you see. I spent three years as a political reporter for our papers and in that time I dedicated the majority of my evenings to covering hundreds of council meetings. I was often the only one in the public gallery, press…
Learning from experience: Our ear defender party regret
Meeting up with a friend who’s getting married in a couple of months at the weekend, I tentatively asked: “Will you be having a DJ?” In hindsight this was a stupid question. Don’t all weddings have DJs? I’ve only ever attended one wedding and they had one, so I’ve got no precedent to contradict my…
Learning from experience: 12 birthdays a year
Babies and the Queen have at least one thing in common. Multiple birthdays. This month I will be 27-and-one-month old. Sounds stupid, doesn’t it? If you’re a baby, though, celebration of each month you’ve made it through is practically cause for a party. They even make special cards for the occasions and if you’ve not…
Why we’ve turned into ‘weight watchers’
Tonight we (Hanna) have been making colourful concoctions. On the menu is spinach, pasta and chicken, as well as a a trio of broccoli, spinach and ‘cheese’. Cheese is in inverted commas because it’s special allergy cheese made with coconut – and no cheese I’ve ever recognised as cheese is made from tropical fruit. We’ve…
Learning from experience: Developing a sixth sense for the ‘Grannies’
You’re in the shop and you’ve turned your back for a split second to grab your tenth packet of wet wipes of the week off the shelf. You turn back and there’s a complete stranger peering into your baby’s pram. Who is this randomer practically sitting in your Cosatto – and where did they come…
Trade secrets: How to do shorthand
Some people might balance spoons on their face as their party piece. Others might whip out their best Alan Sugar impression, or a bit of amateur opera. Ask a journalist, though, and it’s likely to be their Teeline rather than their teaspoons that they turn to. Shorthand comes in a variety of styles. Former typists…
My papers: Who tells us what to print?
I was out and about a couple of weeks ago and someone clocked I worked for the local paper. These inquisitive beings crop up all over the place, like a granny sensing a nearby baby. This generally goes one of two ways: intrigue about an interesting career or an ear bashing for a terrible cock-up….
