This was the apex. The high point of the holiday: a day at the Magic Kingdom with EldestGirl. We had planned pretty much the whole trip around this one day: choosing a time of year when the park shouldn’t be too busy, picking a day within that time when crowds might be slightly smaller, going … [Read more…]
We took EldestGirl to the Magic Kingdom when she was almost two. It was not a great day. It was about 30 degrees, and whilst the Magic Kingdom itself was lovely, it’s a pain in the arse to actually get to all the Disney goodness. Firstly there’s a drive from wherever you’re staying. Then a … [Read more…]
Going on holiday with small children takes nerve. We are currently in Orlando, Florida, doing the Disney thing (and the shopping thing, and the eating thing). We are staying in a lovely villa with a pool, and Mr and Mrs Nunn, my parents, are on holiday with us too, so we have on-tap childcare. Even … [Read more…]
We are going on holiday soon! Back in the day, TheBloke (TM) and I would pile some fresh underwear in an overnight bag and disappear for a few days of sun, sea and sleeping late. These days I literally have a project plan to get our family safely from our home to the airport, then … [Read more…]
A buy-to-let landlord’s lot is not an easy one. The word “landlord” itself evokes ideas of stern but benevolent gentlefolk, riding through their lands wearing a top hat, distributing food to their poor tenants, and occasionally diving into murky ponds à la Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy. As a wealthy landowner, one of course needs do … [Read more…]
Friends! Happy New Year! Apologies for the extended absence. I intended to blog about turkey cooking, Elf on the Shelf, Santa, Christmas presents, family madness and more. Instead I mostly ate cheese. So generally, successful all round. Never fear though, I am back! Sometimes blogging really pays off. And I don’t mean that rubbish “personal … [Read more…]
Earlier today, YoungestGirl and I were shopping at Aldi Waitrose when I heard a lady in a wheelchair ask a member of staff if they had any fresh lobster. The member of staff could not have cared less, suggested they might be in tomorrow and told her they definitely didn’t have them. Two minutes later, … [Read more…]
YoungestGirl’s absolute favourite thing in the world is pulling the cat’s fur out, and trying to eat it. Her second favourite thing in the world is waiting until you’ve taken her dirty nappy off, and then reaching her hands in for a good old scratch. If I remember in time, I can sometimes distract her … [Read more…]
TheBloke (TM) and I have fundamentally different ideas about what the dishwasher is for. This is interesting, because if you had asked me, age 15, what a dishwasher was for, I would have said primarily it was for washing dishes, but also for arguing with my brother about whose turn it was to empty it. … [Read more…]
For the last four days, water has been pouring through the ceiling of one of the properties we rent out. Evil slumlords that we are (we’re totally not), it has been almost impossible to rectify this problem because the origin of the leak is in the flat above… and we have had no way of … [Read more…]