2 Olive TerraceI’m an unashamed literary snobA friend / mentor recently persuaded me to try George Saunders again. I’d given up on his collection Tenth of December after just a few…6d ago6d ago
2 Olive TerraceThe Shape of a CatI lost our cat after divorce. And I miss the shape of her. Her outline in the kitchen window where her water bowl was. Her curl in the fold…Aug 10Aug 10
2 Olive TerraceThe Danger of the new Parenting Priests and Why you Shouldn’t Believe Everything They SayWow, parenting is hard. By god (whichever one you might believe in), aren’t we in need of some guidance? But gosh, isn’t there just such a…May 7May 7
2 Olive TerraceWhy death is at the top of my to-do listA few friends came round for dinner. One of them had recently lost his best friend very suddenly to a heart problem. He talked about…Apr 302Apr 302
2 Olive TerraceI don’t know love at allI’ve seen visions of you, read words about you and glimpsed you around a corner but as to your face, I don’t know if you’re smooth or…Apr 23Apr 23
2 Olive TerraceWhy I scream at treesI’ve screamed at trees. Laid down on the floor in the kitchen in the dark, stuffed a tea towel into my mouth and screamed into that. I’ve…Apr 19Apr 19
2 Olive TerraceWhy Britain is the most child unfriendly country in the worldI recently moved back to the UK from Abu Dhabi. Alone with two boys, 4 and 7, after the breakdown of my marriage. I was looking forward to…Apr 131Apr 131
2 Olive TerraceBut who will look after the children?Said no man ever. Or at least none that I know. Actually, I do know one. His new partner confessed at the skate park that he does 50% of…Oct 26, 2023Oct 26, 2023
2 Olive TerraceWhat happened when I stopped being a mumI just stopped trying. For one day. Because parenting is hard. And co-parenting and divorce can be really hard. And our school believes in…Oct 21, 2023Oct 21, 2023
2 Olive TerraceTo write or to wash? Create or clean?I stepped into the kitchen after school drop off, poured the rest of yesterday’s coffee into a mug of not-quite-warm-enough milk, scooped…Oct 11, 2023Oct 11, 2023