The new year has begun, as we knew it would, and once again I am filled with a desire to be better. A desire, yes. But an action plan on how to achieve this enhanced me – no. There are many things I’d like to change in order to succeed Read more
I vowed not to write about my kids but… The conundrum of Boy Seymour is a curious one. He is everything a teenaged chap should be and more: a doughnut devouring, untidy, loud, contrary, lanky, lovable, clumsy, antagonizing and often adorable young man. He fits the stereotype, but throws in Read more
Somewhere in my house is a notebook – one of many- in which I have diarised significant events in my life. Some notebooks are full of scribbled teenage angst, others are laden with self-doubt, offloaded confessions and repeated resolutions. But some of the best were written many years ago, when Read more
In spite of always trying to be aware of the world around me, and to keep up with developments, especially the kind of developments that may be relevant to school-aged children, I must admit that I have now drawn a blank. Not only have I drawn a blank, but I Read more
I thought of a book last week, as I sat in a waiting room with Mini Seymour. The book in question is Class, by Jilly Cooper, a satirical observation of the strange hierarchies that existed in society in Cooper’s heyday. What prompted this ponderation? Well, a lot of things. Firstly, Read more
This is not the end, it is not the beginning of the end…nor the end of the beginning, even! (Update – actually, it’s just the same old blog, but even more random!) Written on July 14, 2025 It is just another chapter – a new phase, in life. And with Read more
Written on July 29, 2025 The Cactus House may or may not have had dogs living here before. The odds are that it has. The original inhabitant – Mr Cactus himself, might have had a mutt or two – although his botanical travels probably made him less likely to want Read more
(Written on September 8, 2025) This Funny Little Bungalow, aka The Cactus House has been without a greenhouse for too long. I tell a lie – there are greenhouses here. Many of them. But they’re in pieces under the soil. Demolished many years ago when Mr “Cactus” Innes gave up Read more
It transpires that I can’t actually stop writing about The Four Little Seymours, after all. There have been complaints. And so, in the spirit of keeping everyone happy, I have come up with a different plan… The other page I started, I shall abandon. I may import the stories I Read more
Four Little Seymours. Every time I type that it feels less and less relevant. The biggest one is coming up for twenty one, and the smallest one is headed for teenagerdom. As much as I don’t want to admit it, they are no longer little. It is taking some adjustment, Read more