…the mutterings of Mummy Sellars…
You need to say it in a N Irish accent. Because the phrase 'that is us now' uttered in received pronounciation wouldn't have quite the same triumphant ring to it! It's commonly used here as a declaration of completion. Running the Belfast Marathon on 1 May was amazing - a massive challenge which was made … Continue reading At’s us nai!
This has been weeks in the writing. How do I get the tone right in these strange times? The number of times I've been mulling over what to write and getting nowhere, because there's really nothing at all that I can usefully say just now. Friends are grieving, unable to have traditional funeral or memorial … Continue reading Nothing to add…
...the honeymoon period is over. Shall I tell you how I know? The annual 'escaping cows' drama has been taking place*. We now know there's a story behind it**, and they get out a LOT. So I've got used to coming face to face with a huge animal when I round a bend on a … Continue reading Narnia & other stories…
It's almost a year since we left Oxfordshire. It'll soon be a year since we arrived here! Although we're still technically blow-ins*, it has dawned on us that we're already heading for a second time round on everything. The boys are in their second year of the N.I. school system; our second Christmas and New … Continue reading The last of the firsts…
Can you believe it's the new term already!? At the end of June we were delighted to finish the school year with weeks off stretching ahead, full of plans for time away and for hosting friends. We crammed in as much as we could and are still standing, just about! The boys were excited to … Continue reading New term, new routines… new plate*!
How others see us matters. It matters to us, because we like to be well thought of. It matters to them, because it affects how they behave around us. I don't know about you, but I spend a considerable amount of time feeling that I'm too young and inexperienced to be a proper grown up … Continue reading Are we all that we seem?
Term finished for the boys at the end of June. Wasting no time, we switched on the 'out of office' emails, packed our bags into the car*, and boarded the overnight ferry from the port of Belfast. We awoke as the ship sailed up the River Mersey to dock. Oh, and these are pretty much … Continue reading We’re going this way, that way, forwards and backwards…
As I slipped on my shoes this morning I noticed they had sand in them. Puzzled, I tried to remember why. These last 7 weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of end to end house guests, bank holiday weekends, work trips, and adventures...so it took a few moments. Yes! A couple of weeks ago I … Continue reading Stepping out
I've started lots of blog posts this past month, and none of them have made the cut. They've either trailed off, been too hard to write, or just been plain boring! Luke, on the other hand, is having no trouble with his creative writing. Today, as he was doing his homework, he muttered, "I think … Continue reading Stifling creativity or shaping character?
This has been on my mind a lot recently. My insecurities about my own career 'success' were compounded this week by the the myriad (often self aggrandising) social media posts and news features on International Women's Day (IWD) about women who have smashed the glass ceiling before they turned 30, who are changing the world … Continue reading How do we measure success?
Killultales 