This is a recipe that Sam found and loves to prepare. He takes over the kitchen, and between shouting endless queries to me “where’s the vegetable stock” and “Can’t find the lemon zester” casually informs Jasper that once he has finished the war torn cooking zone will be his to repair. Irritating though it [...]

“Hey, dear!”

Two small words, but enough to strike dread into the hearts of all 600 teenage girls at Rustenburg Girls High School in the seventies. By the time we heard them, delivered in a hoarse whisper, it was too late. Miss Thomson’s crepe soled shoes meant she moved with lethal silence along the [...]

None of our children suffer from false modesty and they had a lovely time putting on different scarves and wrist warmers in front of the mirror until the moment came when I ushered them outside. On a day which switched from bright sunshine to snow storms modelling cashmere outdoors seemed hard work. Each time I [...]

a wind that follows fast

and fills the white and rustling sail

and bends the gallant mast

Allan Cunningham 1825

Two weeks of being snowed in makes me long for the sea. I imagine walking along the beach while we’re digging out a path [...]

Summer evenings are our reward for surviving (seemingly) endless days of over 35°degrees. We gather outside to eat by candlelight, wonder whether the flames are guttering due to a tiny breeze (before realising it was just a passing cat) and speculate on the probability of tomorrow being a little cooler. Finally, overcome by yawns, we [...]