If I’d married someone just like me, we’d have gone on holidays to Italy (we did), to a campsite (we did), to drink Prosecco on the deck every night (we did). But being married to that person just like me would have meant quite a different holiday for the kids - no scary slides, no scuba ...
Sitting on the deck at half past midnight, I can hear Killing Me Softly wafting across the campsite, to the background sound of waves washing up on the sand. I’m finishing a glass of red wine and thinking about closing my book. The candle flickers in the darkness, and I don’t want to blow it ...
The voice in my ear gives me the go ahead – I’ve completed my self-imposed time running on roads and forest paths, now Runkeeper says I can go onto the beach. I turn and run towards the gate. “Buongiorno,” says the security guard. “Buongiorno,” I reply, in my Irish accent. I keep my Italian accent for ...
Two things we didn't consider when we booked our holiday this year: 1. Italy can be very hot in July (subsequent raised eyebrows and "Italy in July? With small kids? Really?" comments did hammer this home) 2. Our campsite, Norcenni Girasole, is inland - way inland - sitting prettily in the hills of Tuscany but nowhere near even a ...
It's a full two months since I finished up in the IFSC so it seems like as good a time as any for an update on life as a WAHM. Highlights Summer holidays - I feel like I've discovered a secret world of amazingness. The heady mix of no office and no school-run has been going on ...
A very nice thing about blogging is being offered products to review. The hard part is deciding whether to say yes or not, but when Claire Povey asked if I'd like to try one of her hand-made beach bags, one click through to her website was enough to convince me to send back a resounding "Yes ...
A package arrived. Excitement was high. One child almost fainted, such was her need to see what was in the big cardboard box. "Relax," I said, "It's probably something boring for dad, or for me." Secretly hoping it was for me. I opened the box. Four heads peered in. "It's a bag!" one child shouted. "It's pink!" said ...
We are being very brave this summer; we're getting on an actual airplane with all three kids. We've never tried it with three before, and we may never try again either, depending on how it goes. But in a bid to see something further away than a ferry journey allows, we're getting on a plane. Among other ...
Monday morning 5.10am Pitter patter. Toddler footsteps. All the way around to my side of the bed. "Is it morning mummy?" "No, it's not morning, I'll bring you back to your bed." 7.33am Same footsteps, more resolute attitude. "Me getting in your bed now mummy, it morning-time." Resistance is futile. 7.42am A skipping sound. That's Emmie. She's five so she skips ...
Until recently, apart from lighter traffic on the way to work, the October mid-term break meant nothing to me at all. But since the kids started school, and once I realised that taking the mid-term week off work was the thing to do, this time of year has taken on a whole new meaning. It's ...