A scene captured by photographer Martin Le-May in a London park has taken off on the internet (#weaselpecker) at a rate much faster than any woodpecker with a weasel on its back ever could. The world soon started photoshopping all kinds on things onto the woodpecker’s back. John Travolta, Madonna, My Ray Cyrus, even a […]
The Food of Love
‘But I didn’t order this,’ the smaller child wailed the other evening, staring at her plate of oven-roasted vegetables with dismay. ‘There’s been some mistake in the kitchen!’ Normally, I’d be very sympathetic. I hate it when restaurants bungle my order. But we were not in a restaurant, we were at the dining room table, […]
Moms on Mars – in space you can hear no one scream
Dear organisers of the Mars One Mission (M.O.M.) It has recently come to my attention that you are planning to establish a human settlement on Mars, and I would really, really like to volunteer to be a part of it. You may wonder why I – a very tired 40-something mother of two small children […]
Why James Bond would approve of Leysin’s fire drink
Some drinks are social in nature and have the power to create strong bonds and memories. Where I come from, we have one such drink, and I guarantee it will make a vivid impression on you, your friends and your guests. In Leysin, a small ski resort nestled in the Swiss French speaking Alps, we […]
It’s Not Easy, Being Green
‘Just look at this horrible mess!’ bellowed the bigger child the other day. ‘Who did this?’ At first I thought she may be referring to the post-breakfast fallout under the dining room table … but no. Apparently I’m still the only one who notices that. Or cares about it. Or cleans it up. What the […]
Wolf Moons and Alpha Pups
Did you know that the first full moon of the year was once known as the Wolf Moon? I picked this snippet up online and shared it with my older child one cold January night, as we had a magical mommy-daughter moment, holding hands and looking up at that moon. Perhaps I should have chosen […]
Of Pinterest, Feral Children and the Kruger National Park
Ever since the bigger child turned 8 and is now ‘practically a teenager’, we’ve been clashing over what she is and isn’t allowed to do. ‘You’re, like, totally controlling,’ she told me a few days ago. ‘No I’m not. And speak properly. And stand up straight.’ ‘You’re also overprotective. What do you ever let me […]
Morning Mood
What’s the music of your morning? These days, mine is far less ‘Morning Mood’ and more ‘Ride of the Valkyries’; less sipping herbal tea as I watch the sun peer pinkly over the Alps, and more hefty contributions to the Swear Jar as I run around trying to get everybody ready and out of the […]
Possessed: mum’s stuff meets the messy elves
I know what they mean, about children keeping you young: every day, I’m sounding more and more like a toddler. ‘My shoes,’ I find myself saying, firmly, pointing to the object in question. ‘My bed. My phone. Mine!’ It started innocuously enough: one bored afternoon the older child nicked a pair of my shoes to […]
Talking About a Resolution
‘Guess what kind of doggie I am,’ yapped the smaller child, before lying down on the floor and throwing some kind of fit. ‘A rabid one?’ I ventured, as she tried to bite my feet. It wasn’t the right answer. She was actually being a Chihuahua. One without a sense of humour, apparently. Poor child. […]