Well the tree is up, wrapping paper has been purchased and a steady stream of gift-order-confirmation emails are making their way into my inbox.

By the time this column comes out, both of my children will be in school. This fact alone is not particularly remarkable, but bear with me.

By the time this column comes out, we'll have just over a week of school left. I am both counting down to the holidays, and a tad apprehensive

I've got something a little different this week as we say goodbye to our favourite newspaper editor, Phil Creighton. What I have, is a big thank you

I now carry a toilet roll wherever I go, as required by my runny nose. (We don't stock boxes of tissues, do people still do that?)

It was perfect for the tired mum who wanted something a bit different, something intellectually and creatively stimulating, accessible during the day

It's 3.25pm and thanks to a dear friend, I've managed to get out of the school run. This is an excellent 2024 win already

The moral of the following story is: It's better to be late and keep all your fingers in working order.

I'm staring at a screen, this time trying to remember which storage unit my daughter asked for. To get the wrong one would be a tragic Christmas sin.

Well bravo South Hill Park, your Sleeping Beauty was anything but sleepy ? bar that brief 50-year nap.