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
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
I introduced Boy Seymour to a TV favourite of mine from the 90s recently – the classic that is Game On. It’s genius, hilarious, nostalgic and brilliant. And also completely non-pc. Surely the 90s weren’t that long ago? Anyway, I needn’t worry about the out-dated references affecting my son, I Read more
I learned something about my Number Two daughter the other day, upon asking how her day had gone.Fine, she said.So far, so normal. Monosyllables are the way we roll. I got a baguette, she proffered.Nice, I said, secretly delighted about the number of syllables we were now sharing.Chicken tikka, she Read more
Recently, I have been craving a round table. We used to have a round table. It was in The Shed. It existed there through necessity, and meant that the whole family, plus occasional guests, could sit around it together, elbow to elbow at times, but at a table nevertheless. There Read more
Like so many people, I have always struggled with January. It is a bit shit, is it not? It is cold and muddy and miserable and there are not enough hours in the day. I recall a few weeks back a friend telling me that Blue Monday had passed. Read more
Two days before Christmas, I decided it was time to have a chat with the Four Little Seymours. All of them were, unusually, together; a captive audience as we were driving back from last minute shopping and hospital appointments. The conversation was prompted earlier that day by me realising with Read more
I am definitely in my nostalgia era. I know I have said it before but I will say it again: anecdotes keep throwing themselves my way and reminding me of stuff I haven’t thought about for years. It’s weird – almost as if my life is flashing before my eyes Read more
One of my favourite books as a kid was Burglar Bill, a Janet and Allan Ahlberg classic, with colourful, cosy illustrations and very likeable protagonists.The Ahlberg duo made me – an anxious child – less scared of burglars, and even rather fond of witches, with their relatable and heart-warming little Read more