I am annoyed. We could change the name of the blog to I AM ANNOYED, as I’m pretty much always annoyed, but that would be really annoying, as ANNOYED is one of the words I struggle to spell. Mind, so is the word RESISTANCE, and I put that in my book title. So, I’m annoyed.…
Greetings, gorgeous ones. How has your week been? I’ve been visited by the Lady Covidia; throat scarred with razor blades, mind numbing fatigue and muscle aches that have left me winded. After a long weekend in bed, I was feeling if not better then less ill, but then my sense of taste disappeared, I felt…
Bore da Chickens, I know you weren’t expecting to hear from me today after all the drama about my flaps (really, that joke never gets old). I could get badges made, ‘Ask me about my Flaps!’ You know how I might have mentioned I’d written a book? You know the one with the fabulous…
The world feels scary right now, the threat of social division simmering, barely contained on our streets. With everything going on, I retreat to the calm of the garden to take stock. The early sweetcorn, tidied away now, was lush. The courgettes and beans were plentiful, the raspberries and tomatoes have been endless. With all…
Bore da, my lovelies. Did I mention I was writing a book? Funny, it must have slipped my mind... Well, the day is finally here, and I can reveal the cover and title of my new book. I am so excited to share it with you guys first. I can’t tell you how much I…
I’ve fallen down another hole on Instagram. I’ve been learning how to get dressed. I’m aware some of you have seen me wearing clothes before. I do know how to get dressed, though, to be fair, it was fairly recent that I learned the label in your knickers goes on the left, meaning you never…
The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the legal definition of a woman should be based on biological sex. This means that the term ‘woman’ as used in the Equality Act means biological woman and the term ‘sex’ means biological sex. It also means that those born male, but who identify as a woman, do…
The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the legal definition of a woman should be based on biological sex. This means that the term ‘woman’ as used in the Equality Act means biological woman and the term ‘sex’ means biological sex. It also means that those born male, but who identify as a woman, do…
I am a sick and disabled woman and I am dependent on disability benefits. I will not justify why I receive PIP. I will not explain to you the expenditure that I incur as a direct result of my chronic ill health. I will not list the things I have to spend more money on…
I’ve been thinking about words. I write, so words literally fill my world. In English, we have an average vocabulary of between 20,000 and 40,000 words. (You know I am competitive so you can absolutely bet that I went online and did a test to measure my vocabulary.) The measure of our vocabulary is…
leedspostcards.co.uk Warning* This post refers to male violence against women. As a young woman, I had a poster of this postcard on my wall. I have embroidered it onto linen in green and purple threads, stitching words still depressingly relevant nearly 30 years later. How can that be? When so much has changed in the…
Brightest blessings for the season. Mid-winter is, for me, the perfect pause, a chance to rest and recharge. This year, struggling with my health, I’ve rested for the whole of December, getting writing work squared away so I can make time for nourishment, - a little yoga, a little knitting, - readying myself for…
This week I have been mostly on the Tik-Agram. Or is it Insta-Tok? Whatever, I’ve been pebbling (check me out, all down with the kids) pebbling my daughter and daughter-in-law with reels and funny memes and that bloke that goes on about the posh ice. My daughter did suggest I limit the number of pebbles…
I am an economic migrant. I came to this country 26 years ago. Not fleeing persecution from wars, or death threats for my religion, my sexuality, or my political views, I came here simply for a better life. Because I wanted to. Leaving the poverty and greyness of my country of origin, I rushed across…
I was busy on the frontline of parenting back in 1997 when Labour last got in after nearly two decades under the Tories. It is no exaggeration to say that life under the Tories back then was brutal. It has been brutal under this last lot, but back then the demonisation of single parents was…
I’m late, I’m late, I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been thinking about you. About this post. I miss chatting. Who knew writing a memoir would take up so much head space? Oh, and then there’s the bloody Mister demanding to know which cloth he’s meant to use to clean the windows, while my head is…
According to a recent Ipsos study in conjunction with the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at Kings College London, 47% of Britons think things have gone far enough in giving women equal rights with men. They go further, saying that men are now being discriminated against. Pause while I adjust my what-the-fuck-face, as the…
Love is in the air and with this in mind I thought it time to return to the Housewife’s Handy Book and explore all things love and marriage in the letters section. Romance is blooming, or not, as the case may be, for our two young lovers Harry and Agnes. Let me remind you that…
Okay, I know today's movie is Love Actually, but I find that movie problematic in too many ways to go into today. I will conseed the scene when Emma Thompson realises the jewellery is not for her, breaks my cold heart a little, but the rest of the movie leaves me with a shudder, -…
So often we are told to be serious, to grow up, to let go of childish ideas and actions. Today I invite you to let go of all of that and just for today try to see the magic in the world. You are such a powerful, beautiful soul. Imagine what your world would be…
Today beauty advice from the Handy Housewife I for one will look forward to forcing myslef to take stock of my imperfections. Have a lovely day!
When was it that we were convinced that pants and vests weren’t cool? We wore them as kids, comfy pants with days of the week on them – a nightmare for neurodiverse kids, unable to cope with the incongruity of Wednesday’s pants on a Friday, even if they are the only clean pair. So, when…
Tomorrow is International Women’s Day. A chance to celebrate the women in your life. It’s a day to celebrate all of the achievements women have made – achievements that impact us personally, historically, economically, scientifically, politically and culturally. It’s a day to look with pride at the women around us, holding up the world, to…
I miss my kids. Not just as they are now -the funny, bright, annoying, boring people they have become with their busy lives, exciting plans and lives far away. I miss them, for how they used to be, when they were mine, when I held their hands and wiped away their tears. It’s not all…
The fairy lights are on, there’s hot chocolate in my mug, a tin of roses on the sofa and Lebkuchen sitting daintily on a Christmas plate – with breakfast sorted it’s time to turn on a Christmas movie. Most of the year my early mornings take on a slightly different vibe, - walking the dog,…
I don’t know when I lost my voice. Loud and brash in my twenties, I would stand my own with all comers. Was it a life running after kids that quietened me? Certainly, four kept me busy. Then my mother-in-law died and, leaving two adopted kids with profound multiple disabilities, her two joined ours to…
My bras have turned against me. All at once, as if they’d set a date, they have decided to pop their seams and send sharp spiky wires jabbing into the tenderest parts of my flesh. My draw is full of bras with escaping wires, ones I keep meaning to mend. The fix, sewing soft felt…
My husband is doing my head in. Not in a ‘I need to lay a new patio’ kinda way. Nor in ‘I need to look for one bedroom flats’ though the latter is certainly appealing. I should point out for fairness and balance that my husband is a lovely bloke – kind and supportive, a…
Consider this your tomato update. I planted too many. I know right, who knew? But I tried this time, I really did. The three I planted in the raised bed by the back door were perfectly spaced when they were little. But then they grew. Do you know how to grow tomatoes? You pinch off…
Image chosen by my Grandson, pointing out that we need to hurry so we can play another game. I used to really admire stories of women who’d get up at 5 am, before their kids woke, to write their novel - banging out 2000 words before breakfast or staying up into the wee hours to…
It has happened again. I swear to god, this is the last straw. Never mind insomnia, mood swings, the midlife spreading in places I didn’t think I could spread any further, this -THIS- has tipped me over the edge. What, I hear you say? You always do this – make these grand announcements and then…
I, like many, stand horrified at the overturning of Roe versus Wade in America last week, seeing abortion made illegal in many US States. This appalling act sees the rights of women everywhere undermined, and their lives made second best. I don’t care why a woman needs an abortion. For me, this is not about…
Bordering Grey 