Author: Jennifer Aldley

I was helping at a historic house the other day there hadn’t been many folk through the house at this point, but there had been several families spotted parking up in the top car park.  Whilst they meandered around the…

We are currently enjoying a splendidly dry and hot summer season.  This week anyway.  There are signs of life from local children who come out of tv and electronic game induced hibernation.  Toys are beginning to make their way out…

We had a clarion call recently from one of our socially minded group of pals.  They were planning to do something sponsored in order to get funding for a special project.  The usual ideas were floated and gradually rejected.  Things…

One of the things I notice was greatly different to home, when I travelled to the Statees recently. . . .   the families who take a great deal of time to ensure their children get the very best sports coaching…

I take a particular women’s magazine and have done so since it’s inception back in the 1990s.  It has the usual mix of high street fashion – mostly shown on yong women who are much younger than the average audience…

Grandparents are often left in a quandry these days – to buy the sugary, calorie laden Easter eggs, or to provide healthier gifts for their little poppets.  Most mums, wishing to look super efficient and health conscious, will veer away…

Bringing children up these days is a lot more involved than it used to be – if looking around the news is anything to go by.  Even theyoungest child seems to have their confidence dented pretty easily with just an…

You’d be surprised how excited I can get given the job of buying a present for the newest member of our extended family – a little girl who will be two shortly.  I found the young baby stuff rather tedious…

Ah the wonders of christmas  –  I decided to look at dedicated toy shops for the younger members of my family.  I’d quite forgotten how exciting it can be for an older person who doesn’t normally get involved in the…

There has been much discussion in womens’ magazines and the daily press about the problem of disposable paper and plastic nappies is causing to the planet.  This sort of thing was never considered at all it would seem way back…