Derisa pulls her scarf up over her head as she hurries down her garden path and out onto the quiet, dark street. It is frosty; in the gardens icy fronds flash white in the light of a full moon, which is partly obscured by clouds pregnant with the possibility of snow. Once again Derisa reflects on Continue Reading
Living and Loving by Numbers
Tapping in my pin number always makes me smile. If you know me well, ask me why - the answer is infantile humour but helps me remember it. I don't have a good head for numbers, in fact I'd go so far as to say I'm pretty much number-blind. As I tapped in my pin the other day, I suddenly had an Continue Reading
Planning a Wedding
This is a guest blog post from my dear, imaginary friend Janet. She wrote me a letter recently with the happy news that she is expecting to get married in the spring. It is copied here verbatim. "Dear Maddie, It was so nice to hear all your news! I'm well too and I have some good news for you - Continue Reading
Nibbling The Biscuits
At the risk of you all getting the impression that I only ever think of my stomach, I am reminded today of the way I used to eat biscuits when I was a child - still do in private, if I'm honest. I first revelled in the anticipation: just knowing they were there, a whole packet of bourbons or jammy Continue Reading
When Push Comes to Shove
At some point when contemplating how this baby is going to actually come out, most of us naturally turn our minds to labour and how we might cope with the contractions. Few of us think about the second stage of labour - after all, isn't it as simple as the instruction on the door above? Once labour Continue Reading