Lockdown v2.0
Here we are again… A country-wide lock down enforced across England until the 2nd December. Although, lets be honest, that feels like a slightly plucked-out-of-the-air date at the moment. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it right now; a little overwhelmed if I’m honest: I’m hoping the following paragraphs will give me a…
Bored? Board Games!
I am absolutely loving playing board games with Piglet now that the clocks are going back and our daylight is shrinking. We’ve played things like Ludo and Snakes and Ladders for a while but he used to struggle to stay with the game and, while keen to start, would often get distracted. Since he’s started…
And so to bed…
The bedtime routine, or lack of it, is an intensely personal part of parenthood. For many it’s an exquisite coordination of intimate down time; for others it’s the gathering of the herd. I think we’re pretty lucky in that bedtime for us is generally a happy and shared experience but it’s also a time of…
And so to school
It starts! My little Piglet, the little smiling boy who only a few weeks ago (in my chronologically muddled daddy mind) was a giggling bouncing little baby, has only gone and started school. He turned four earlier this year, it’s now September and so, with all the predictability of a small child forgetting to cover…
A tart for all the family
Quick post this time. Just wanted to share a pudding that my wife made last week that was gone before you could say “low-fructose, gluten-free millionaire cheesecake pie?” I think what surprised me most about it is that the tart seems to be more than the sum of its parts. All three of us (with…
An allergy by any other name
I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’ve been working on this blog post for quite a while now. I struggle to articulate my thoughts on the subject and feel a sort of guilt that I don’t have clearer views – especially considering how much it underpins this blog. And so, to guide you…
Oh Ella…
Ella Woodward has been a (virtual) part of our lives for a couple of years now. She might not be a name you’ve heard of before but you may well have seen her blog, heard her podcast, or (most likely) seen her products in your supermarket. She is more commonly known as “Deliciously Ella” and…
Mortality
*Trigger Warning* I’ve never felt the need to write one of these before but I can see why this might be a difficult blog post for some to read. Unsurprisingly, given the title, this contains discussions about death. Well… That was not the lunchtime I’d expected… Piglet has been really enjoying two of the great…
The Hike
A gentle stroll in the park. Well, actually a pretty long stroll for a 4-year old who did remarkably well – all things considered. We planted the idea a few weeks ago. I can’t remember what got us talking about it but I mentioned how much I loved walking in hills and mountains. I guess…
Oh for the joy of a curry
Spice. Aromatics. Chillies. Poppadoms. Chutneys. These are a few of my favourite things… From as soon as I learnt to cook, and definitely by the time I was fully self-sufficient at university, I have adored cooking (admittedly heavily anglicised) Indian food. In fact, it was a chicken curry bought from a local takeaway back in…
Running: the long road run to recovery
This is me! No, I’m not about to start singing the back catalogue of ‘The Greatest Showman’, although if you don’t know what I’m talking about you should give it a listen… No, this is me after completing a 10 mile run last weekend. Please forgive me, I’m not trying to brag (although I am…
Veg, glorious veg
We’re a few weeks into our weekly vegetable delivery boxes from Riverford now and I’m loving them. We’ve increased our order every week and I don’t think we’ve let a single item go to waste yet. Furthermore; we’re definitely spending less at our weekly supermarket shop. It hasn’t been long enough to work out whether…
Veg Box
I can’t really believe we’ve never done this before, considering the amount we cook from scratch and the reliance on fresh fruit and vegetables for our various diet requirements. However, the lockdown conditions have forced us to reconsider our food delivery options and when a delivery slot became available through a well reviewed local company…
Cake, twice!
So without giving away any specific ages or dates, April is a pretty big month in this house for birthdays. And this year was no different. No, wait. It was! Amid social lockdown and barely leaving the house, it was quite a different set of birthdays for both my wife and Piglet. To be fair,…
Home (almost) alone
Hello all, I hope you’re all well and coping in these bizarre and unprecedented times. It’s now been a full month since I first had to start working from home and it has fairly quickly become the new norm. Not to say I’ve easily settled into it but I don’t at least have to check…
Covid-19 – staying at home
Hello all of you. I hope you’re doing ok in this crazy situation that we find ourselves in. For anyone who’s been trapped in a cave for the majority of 2020 (hang on, I mean obliviously rather than deliberately); the UK is currently on “lockdown” by order of the government, the streets are largely deserted…
A little light humour
In a week when it feels like the world as we know it is starting to fall apart, I appreciate that it can be difficult to get the tone right while persevering with some level of normality. This blog has never aimed to be a purely fact-based information share; the aim has always been to…
Hever Castle
A grand day out. What a lovely Sunday with the family. We’ve been getting a bit frustrated the last few weekends. Storm Ciara, Storm Dennis and another weekend of wind, rain and generally miserable weather have seen us truly test our list of ‘101 things to do on a rainy day’. Ironically we’ve set ourselves…
Vegan Cheese
I make no apologies for this but I’ve only gone and done another one… Free From Humour now has its second episode! Alan and I made the (frankly foolish) decision to review vegan cheeses. Lets be straight here: I can’t stand cheese and Alan hasn’t had real cheese for 15-odd years! We are the least…
Vegan Galaxy Chocolate
Woo hoo! This is a treat! In line with the many vegan versions of common brands that have become available in the last few months, I recently tried Galaxy’s vegan chocolate. They have launched three versions of their vegan milk chocolate: Caramel and Sea Salt, Caramelised Hazelnut and Smooth Orange. The latter two of the…