For no particular reason, the moment I first rode on my bike without falling off came into my mind the other day. It was a hot summer in Theydon Bois, and I was probably around 9. My sister and I were round at the Watkins girls’ in Barn Mead. Their garden featured an excellent sturdy seesaw with not one but two seats on each end, and a paved path that went all the way round the house.
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From Eastbourne to East Suffolk: The Unstoppable Adolphe Audusson
Yesterday morning I had my first Zoom meeting since lockdown. It was a cross between Celebrity Squares and Through the Keyhole, with our twelve little faces smiling out in a grid with various backgrounds. One of our number managed to conjure up an idyllic tropical beach by some Zoom-related wizardry. The rest of us offered windowsills, home offices, coloured in African animals and rather nice curtains as our backdrop.
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Ruth's Top Lockdown Tips
I love a list. There’s something very comforting about reading other people’s tips. If you agree with them, you get a warm glow of fellow feeling. “I’m not the only person in the world who is offended by hydrangeas! How wonderful.” If, however, you think the person is talking utter doggy doo, you can huff and puff self-righteously about how they’re wrong and you’re right. Either way, it’s a win-win situation.
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Surely you jest: some stuff I never thought I’d be writing about
Welcome back, valued and lovely readers. It’s Wednesday night, I’ve got a glass of wine to hand and I really should have written this earlier. Today I found myself pottering around doing all those things that I visualised myself engaging in the minute I went off on maternity leave, 17 years ago this July.
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