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A father's perspective

A friend of ours recently announced that they’re expecting their first child. As a father of four, they thought I might be able to offer them a bit of advice on what to expect because I’ve been there, done that and got the T-shirt.

It started me off reminiscing on my initial experiences of fatherhood and I suspect my friend got his eyes opened a little! As I told him, apparently it’s natural. You wake up one morning to find ...

Dad's the word

Magic moments

I see the Spice Girls are making a comeback.

Scary, Skinny, Plumpy, Spotty and Whinger, or whatever they’re called, will be singing songs that were popular a decade ago and trying to recreate their old dance moves without dislocating their limbs...

E. Jane Dickson

Chat and all that..!

Clara opens the door a crack, just wide enough for me to pass through the tray of popcorn and orange juice. She has invited three friends for a sleepover and the fug of teenage hormones and hair styling products in her bedroom would choke a cat.

“Thanks, Mum” she says, jerking her head meaningfully. She doesn’t quite add, “That will be all”, but the message is clear. When, a few minutes later, I bustle in with extra pillows, the girls form a...

Editor's Letter

How green are you?

We took delivery recently of yet another plastic wheely bin. We now have four of them lined up by the back door like little multi-coloured eco-warriors.

This latest addition to the ranks is a sickly shade of brown, perhaps intended as a reminder of the garden waste it’s meant to contain. Of course, there isn’t really anything funny about any of thi...

Family Finance

Tackling the dilemma of debt?

While the credit crunch is generating acres in column inches at the moment, there is very little that you and I can do about it, so why worry? You might, however, like to take this opportunity to do something about your own family’s level of debt?

Everywhere we look at the minute, things are being blamed on the ‘credit crunch’ in the United States – falling property prices, falling stock markets, failing banks. So, should you be worried about i...

Stephanie Berkeley

Style counsel

A new study recently has suggested that high heels may improve a woman's sex life.

The effect of heels on the male libido has been well-documented over the years, but this new research from the University of Verona looked at the physical benefits of high heels for women themselves. ...