I can't think straight. I can't breathe. I feel like someone has poured glue inside my head. And the thing is, it's not "someone" who did it, it's me. My own dumbass system, over-reacting to pollen - producing histamine because it thinks it's under attack. "You're not under attack, dumbass," I tell my insides every ...
I'm bracing myself, gearing up to make the call. Not an important call, not a life-changing call, just a call. To a plumber. On my mobile. To his mobile. From the room where the coverage is usually (but not always) okay. Where the call is least likely to drop, or result in "Sorry. . . ...
Dear 9-year-old me, It's that time of year again - that time you used to love. The bit in between the pancakes on the Tuesday and the chocolate eggs on the Sunday. The forty days of giving stuff up. Lent. I remember how carefully you decided on the rules each year - no cheating for you, no ...
My laptop and I are in a coffee shop for lunch. It's a little bit because there's no fresh bread at home, and a little bit because it's good to get out. I'm grumpy, because my soup came with toasted sourdough. I could have toasted my not-fresh bread at home. Sourdough feels like an excuse for not-fresh ...
My eyes water. Wind, sharp and stinging, pushes my hood down and drives me back. I lean in, but not in a Sheryl Sandberg way. I've got 58 minutes and five tasks. Stocking fillers. A fancy gift box. A Secret Santa pick-up. Stamps. A book. Dark shapes huddle under hoods, rushing in all directions, maybe ...
A few weeks ago I took the middle child out for a lunch date to Dundrum, preceded by a trip to Claire's for some new hairbands. When I opened my phone cover to take out my Laser card, it wasn't there. Nor was my parking ticket. I had a credit card in my wallet so could ...
Oh September, you crafty devil. From opposite corners of the ring, we faced each other, eyeing each other up, ready for the 30-day bout. You picked me up, you shook me, you slammed me down - over and over. But I knew you were coming for me, and I braced myself, and I made it through in one ...
There’s something about the train. This is, granted, mostly if you almost never get the train. I suspect if you get it every day, there are frustrations like crowded platforms and delays and never getting a seat. But for people like me who only get trains every now and then, it’s very much an adventure ...
I'm a bit fragile today. It's a little bit down to last night's wine and tapas - the ratio of rioja to patatas bravas was not in my favour. But it's a lot down to the Last Supper - the goodbye dinner with the mums from my middle child's class. After four lovely years together, we're breaking ...
Back in April 2017, when I'd been freelancing for two years, I started this post. I think the fact that it's taken me over a year to actually finish it probably sums up freelancing life better than anything else I could say below. But anyway, just over three years into freelancing, here's what works, what doesn't work, and whether ...