Sentimental car journey — I washed the car and put in premium gas before driving 80 miles to sell her for £250. Note the “her”. Our car isn’t an “it”. Not to us. We’ve had her for 25 years. Her name is Gretel. Our car still looks great (see photo), has under 93,000 miles…

The key to youth — The other day my neighbour asked my age. For a moment I couldn’t remember. I genuinely didn’t know. I had to do the math. It’s probably because after 50 I stopped counting. 50 was bad enough. On that birthday I was at a school quiz night with a table of…

Setting free the mice — This morning I freed a mouse caught in a friendly trap under the kitchen sink. I fed he/she a couple pellets of dog food — they’re crazy about Harringtons all natural lamb and rice — and put him by a tree in the woods near our home. “Live free and…

Heart Vows — Men who never marry are more than twice as likely to die from heart failure than married men, according to new research. The study based on data of 6,800 American adults (ages 45–84 of various ethnicities) compared the survival rates of those diagnosed with heart failure, looking at gender and…

Inclusive Parenting — When I was little and we ate with other families, the adults sat at one table (or one end of the table) and the kids at another. As soon as the meal ended, we children bolted. Occasionally, we might return for a short performance — a song or a skit…

The Motherhood Penalty — You’ve always wanted a family but it’s never the right time. In your twenties you’re single and starting a career. In your early thirties you’ve got a partner, but your career is full swing and it’s too good to risk. Eventually, though, it’s now or never. It will be fine…

Sharing Scary News — We awoke yesterday to horrible news. The headmistress of a nearby boarding school, her husband, and their 7-year-old daughter, were found dead in a house on the school’s grounds. I wanted to explain the tragedy to my daughter before she heard it at school. But what would I say? The…

A thank you note — Dear Fred, I don’t know who you are or which post/s you read, but you are my new BFF on Medium. Here I was blogging away — and seriously wondering why I bother, given I earn less than supports a Starbucks’ habit — when your tip appeared in my PayPal…

Crumbgate — Here I thought I wrote a light-hearted post about research that explains why men generally feel less compelled than women to clean up after themselves. But according to some male readers, it seems I’ve been “whining” and “nagging” and, let’s face it, I’m “neurotic”. “Oh look, another article on how…