Santa Photo, 2015

The planning of the annual Santa photo is very involved.  Choosing the date and the time causes a lot of fights with everyone yelling the details of their tight and restricted schedules and for further emphasis, sending me text messages in CAPS with how challenging and unreasonable my request for a trip to Santa actually […]

Mini-Mos 2015

If there’s one event our little guy looks forward to, it’s the Mini-Mos; a community event organised by the local primary school that’s now in its 33rd year.  Everyone is invited to take part in either a 2km, 5km or 10km fun run with funds raised from donations and entry fees going to selected charities.  […]

Macaroni Cheese with Leeks

I’m not in Bali yet but almost. Thanks for all your positive comments that the kids will be just fine.  However, because my ability to think positively is crumbling, I’ve brought in the big guns. Yes, Archie (Useless) and Arabella (the Cripple), still don’t have to share the house with a live-in watch-dog but in […]

Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, Fireworks

Just because you’re staying on a remote island in the South-Pacific where there’s a population of around 30-40,000 people, doesn’t mean you’re not going to find a lot of ways to amuse yourself. On the day of our Wedding Anniversary, we hired a quad bike for the kids to get around on.  In Santo it’s […]

A Christmas Card

Every year I send out Christmas cards that have an unfortunate family photo on the front and musings of what a wicked year it’s been, on the inside. I sent this year’s Christmas cards out almost three weeks ago and no one has received them.  Who knows where they have ended up but there were […]

21 Years of Santa Photos

I’ve now been taking my children to see Santa for more than two decades.  I never thought I’d spend 21 years lining up in lengthy queues with hyped-up children who couldn’t stand in line for five minutes let alone the two hours it’s often been.  I thought I would share with you the interesting and […]

Festive Fruit and Nut Cake and…Morning Drama

Do you all have morning drama?  We have it in spades. This morning Arabella had a very important interview.  She had to be in the city and ready for her appointment by 9.30am.  That shouldn’t be a challenge.  But when she woke, first she had to go out for a takeaway coffee and then she […]

Baby Pea, Mint and Asparagus Salad

I didn’t raise my Archie to be cruel.  But a few days ago he was watching some old home videos.  And the video footage isn’t that old; just 18 years old which went by like three or four. But he came down from his bunker and said, ‘Mum, I’m really shocked; I’ve just been looking […]

Parental Leave

Often our weekends are taken up with children’s sports, their parties, their friends, their sleepovers; as well as their homework, assignments, projects, speeches, escapades and dramas.  But last weekend we took a break from parenting and spent time socialising and catching up with our own friends. For my mental health I needed parental leave.  Archie […]

‘Why Archie? Why?’

I’m sure you all remember my son, Archie.  He was a nice looking boy; clean-cut and shaven.  I was proud to walk down the street with him. These days I cross the street. Everything was fine until a few months ago.  We had his 21st, he was working hard at uni, he had a good […]