Category Archives: Family

International Women’s Day 2013

March 5, 2013 By in Activism, Family Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 20 Comments

It is International Women’s Day on Friday.

Last year, I marked it on my blog with a post about Save the Children’s campaign to give women around the world access to reproductive health care.

This year, my thoughts have stayed a little closer to home, and I’ve decided to acknowledge some of the many incredible women who have had a direct impact on my life.

I started the post thinking I would just mention one or two, but as I started writing I found myself overwhelmed – in a good way – and I couldn’t even begin to narrow it down like that.

Women get a lot of stick sometimes, for their cattiness or for being seen as too competitive. True enough, there are some rotten ones out there… but there are also some incredible communities of women who support and nurture each other, and they are far more worthy of our attention. I count myself very lucky that in my life so far the good eggs have outweighed the stinkers by far.

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My Winter Survival Kit

March 4, 2013 By in Family, Harpenden Tags: , , 10 Comments

Guess what? I think we did it. I think we survived winter.

DorkyDad is much better at winter than I am. All those years he spent living in the woods of Idaho have paid off, and cold weather seems to put him in touch with his inner cave man. He’ll head outside to shovel snow off the road even though we don’t have a car, and tell stories about the times when he had to cut down trees and chop logs for firewood.

DorkySon and I are not so keen. We hate the hassle of all those layers of clothes; hate getting up in the morning when there is ice on the windows. We prefer to snuggle up together under soft blankets, sipping hot chocolate and dreaming of summer.

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Friendship and Loss

February 25, 2013 By in Family, Nostalgia Tags: , 43 Comments

I have not written about P before.

That is partly because I’m not confident that my words can do him justice.

But it’s also because loss can do funny things to people. It can make you claim a closeness that others don’t recognise, as you grapple with your own emotions and try to make sense of them.

I don’t want to do that.

There are others who knew P better than I did, so I’ve waited, because I didn’t want to speak on their behalf.

But he was my friend too, and now the time feels right.

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Live in the Now February

February 11, 2013 By in Family Tags: , , , , , 20 Comments

February already!

It’s not my favourite month, to be honest. It’s such a tease.

One day you can walk through the park without even a jacket, admiring the snowdrops and daffodils that are poking their heads through the earth, and lifting your face to feel the warmth of the sun. It can really feel like spring is within touching distance. The next day it’s back to hat, gloves and scarf, and you walk through that same park cursing the slap of wind and rain on your cheeks. As I type this morning, there are several inches of snow on the ground, and those poor daffodils must be wishing they could tuck back down into the soil. Continue reading →

A Glimpse into the 1920s

February 8, 2013 By in Family, Nostalgia Tags: , , , , , , , 40 Comments

old leather bound album

What a lovely thing I found yesterday!

When one of my great aunts died, at least ten years ago, but probably closer to fifteen, I remember spending some time helping my mum sort through her belongings. I picked up two very old autograph books, which had belonged to my great uncle as a boy, and asked if I could keep them.

I came across them again yesterday when I was sorting through boxes, and I had forgotten how absolutely beautiful they are. Both are leather-bound, with ‘Album; embossed on the outside in gold lettering. One is dated 1918, and the other seems to have entries dating from 1924-1926.

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