By Boxing Day, everyone had noticed something was up with Mark. He’d spent Christmas Day checking his phone then putting it face down on the sofa. He snapped at my son Arlo when he’d asked Mark to play Guess Who, which earned him a hard stare from his wife, Cheryl, before she set up the… Continue reading Boxing Day
Tag: family
Where’s My White Christmas?
I know we’re to blameWith our stockings full of plastic tat.Wagyu burgers, fast cars,and bargain EasyJet flights. But where’s my White Christmas? My childhood Christmas was icy and cold.We pelted each other with snowballs, built forts,skated precariously across half-frozen lakes.Thought The Snowman was a documentary. But now Christmas is all drizzle and mizzle,raining cats and… Continue reading Where’s My White Christmas?
Festive Aunties
I absolutely adore the jolly, free-spirited, gorgeous Aunties by Inge Löök, a gardener and illustrator living in Finland. Apparently, her illustrations are mainly inspirations from her own surroundings or life. The Aunties are my motivation for life. They don't care about looks or what others think, they just enjoy every moment to the full. But… Continue reading Festive Aunties
Christmas Chaos
Christmas morning arrived in a flurry of peace and quiet. No grandchildren bounding into the bedroom at 5am to show us the contents of their stockings. No presents ripped opened in squeals of excitement, wrapping paper flying across the carpet. No last-minute panic about whether we had enough potatoes. Our son and daughter-in-law were going… Continue reading Christmas Chaos
A Cotswold Christmas Caper
So this is the first chapter of the cosy murder mystery I mentioned the other day featuring Muriel Button and her niece Jane. I actually managed to finish this one which was quite an achievement for me! Re-reading it, it could do with some serious editing but this month is just about sharing my writing… Continue reading A Cotswold Christmas Caper
Muriel’s Merry Hangover
Today's post is the beginning of a light-hearted diary form novel I wrote featuring Muriel Button (70, married multiple times, never managed to hold down a job) and her nephew Colin. Muriel also appears in another novel about her niece Jane, who inherits a country house hotel from Muriel when reports of her death are… Continue reading Muriel’s Merry Hangover
The Turkey Who Found a Christmas Miracle
Toby was happily pecking at some seed in the farmyard when he overheard Farmer Potter talking to his wife about a forthcoming trip the turkeys were taking to ‘the abattoir’. Listening intently, Toby learnt the awful truth about what Farmer Potter called the best meal of the year. Toby didn’t intend on being anyone’s Christmas… Continue reading The Turkey Who Found a Christmas Miracle
Festive Family
It was less than eight weeks after my mum had unexpectedly and very suddenly died that Christmas rolled around. None of us were up to shopping, cooking or hosting a big Yuletide feast, but my aunt and uncle bravely stepped up to the not-inconsiderable task of hosting six sad, teary bereft extras and a King… Continue reading Festive Family
Our Lips Are Sealed
After setting up a blog, the WordPress Website recommends that you: Bug your real-life friends - encourage friends and family to read your blog: send them reminder emails when you update and talk to them about it when you meet in person. Often having a really small audience of people you care about is better… Continue reading Our Lips Are Sealed
