“How much longer do you plan to go on living?” the seven-year-old asked me the other day, after giving me one of those long, appraising looks that children are so good at. I like to think that this question had nothing to do with greed for her inheritance (which currently stands at: my wedding ring; […]
Nobody messes with the Easter Bunny
When my children were small, I decided that I would never lie to them. No matter how painful the truth, I would always be the one to tell it to them. (This was before they caught me scoffing the last of the cooking chocolate, and asked me what I was eating. And I said, “Broccoli, […]
People who need people. And people who don’t.
Sometimes I like to think of my family as a patchwork quilt. Because we’re covered in cat hair and permanently draped over the couch in the TV room. Ha ha. No, but seriously. I think of it as a quilt because, as any quilt-maker can tell you, organizing the various pieces of fabric into a […]
On the beach
One morning during our recent summer holiday in England, my husband leaped out of bed, joyfully announcing, “It’s a Beach Day today!” “Really?” I asked, peering out of the window at the grey sky and the trees bending horizontally in the wind. “Why do you say that?” “Because it’s not raining!” The children and I […]
Things that Go Bump in the Night
Every time I read an article about someone who swears they saw the face of Elvis in a piece of toast, I’m reminded of how good we humans are at putting random shapes into patterns, and trying to make sense of them. It’s what makes cloud-watching so much fun; it’s also what gave us the […]
On the road
If marriage is a journey (and not a destination, as Jane Austen says), I want mine to be like a car trip: a nice long one, on interesting roads. Although not as interesting as London’s M25 which I was on yesterday and which may have actually taken several years off my life. There are so […]
The natural order – Robyn Goss
“Nasty, brutish and short”, my husband observed the other day, as we sat on the patio in the rain, having sundowners. “That’s a bit harsh,” I said, watching the children smear yoghurt all over the newly washed windows. “Brutish, yes, undeniably. And of course they’re short. They’re still young. But nasty? I don’t know … […]
So … how about this weather?
Funny you should ask. I’ve been thinking about winter a lot, lately. This may seem a strange time, what with all the blue skies and sunflowers, but it’s best to be prepared: what Switzerland lacks in poisonous spiders and man-eating potholes, it more than makes up for with deadly weather. I don’t want to sound […]
Up, Up and Away – horse balloons and sport – by Robyn Goss
I’ve never understood sport. I don’t mean the rules – although, quite honestly, whoever invented cricket must have been insane. No, I mean I’ve never understood the appeal of sport; never understood why supporters go so far out of their way to have their hopes crushed and their hearts broken. Take the World Cup for […]
Robyn Goss explores her husband’s efforts to get their kids interested in sport
With all the football fever in the air, my husband has been fantasising about – finally, finally – getting one of the children interested in sport. He gave up with me just after we met, but with his daughters … well, he might still have someone to watch the rugby with; to go to cricket […]
