From all the things that won't be changing, to a few things that will. Here are a handful of happenings I'm particularly excited about this year:

I always look forward to the New Year, I like the feeling of new-ness, of twelve whole months ahead, a blank canvas.

We have not had the best start to the week. My son Leo has a stomach bug and our washing machine is well aware of it.

We recently returned from a week in Spain, our first foreign trip as a family. It was everything we needed it to be.

The day this column comes out will be my daughter's ninth birthday. This feels rather surreal.

dinner, anywhere but my dining room table, is a rarity for me. A true novelty

By the time you read this, children across the land will be back in school and some form of normality will have been restored

We celebrated Leo's second Birthday earlier this month. A joyous occasion and a house full of his favourite people. A day like a giant hug

You know you're having a great Summer when someone declares they need a "rest day" after one too many days out. Here are some highlights

As well as escaping the heat, I am also hiding from my children. (Not unusual). Or one child in particular. The toddler.