I used to think years were things you used. You planned them in January with a new notebook and an optimistic pen, you filled them with intentions and deadlines, and you measured them in small achievements, like my 50-in-50 Challenge…
A civilised way of dealing with December We are very bad at darkness in the UK. We rush to fill it, brighten it, drown it out, decorate it, or pretend it’s not there at all. We string lights over it,…
Shab-e Yalda, the longest night of the year, is meant to be magical. In theory it’s about light triumphing over darkness, about poetry, pomegranates, and family gathering around a festive table. In practice, for us, it is a quiet, bittersweet…
Disclaimer: this was a gifted experience for our family. I’m going to put this out there. A lot of family events at Christmas end up feeling like costly box-ticking exercises. They’re about being seen to be doing something festive. They’re…
Disclaimer: The ZipString featured in this review was kindly gifted. As always, the opinions here are entirely our own, Cyrus’s verdict included. When I first spotted ZipString, I admit I rolled my eyes. “A flying string?” I thought. Surely this…
Disclaimer: The playset featured in this review was kindly gifted. As always, the opinions here are entirely our own, toddler verdict included. Bunny hutch playset review: toddler sized, parent approved Three-year-olds have a special talent for loving animals with the…
I braced myself for today’s eye test. Not because I’m squeamish, but because turning 50 has come with a steady stream of “system updates” and a flurry of NHS invites for every condition under the sun. Breast screening, bowel screening,…