On another day in another place.

The gray sky hangs low, pressing you into the ground, opening out the horizon and forcing everything else to admit its insignificance.
Yet on this unpreposing canvas the reds and yellows of the trees glow. Green grass seems brighter. Buildings are whiter, and every little scrap of litter on the ground shines out in lurid [...]

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On watching your language.

The Star likes music, especially when people are singing.
Unfortunately, you suffer from a complete disinterest in the lyrics of songs.
So although you’d like to entertain the Star by warbling along with the radio, you have been forced to find a station which has more of an emphasis on instrumentals than on words. Classic rock stations [...]

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On giant shagging bunny rabbits.

You really should have been paying more attention, but when someone said, ‘Proms‘, you said ‘How high?’ without really enquiring too much further into the matter.
You did manage to glean that it was a Purcell concert, but you failed even to find out what was being played.
Which was probably a good thing. You have recently [...]

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On Eminem.

 
When you crawl through the door,
It is clear to Mummy,
You’re the one she adores,
The one she wants to see.
(Rock) Star, Mummy really loves you.
(Rock) Star, Papa loves you too.
We’re the ones who made you.

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On Eurovision 2009.

About halfway through the results marathon for the Eurovision contest, Graham Norton, the UK’s new host for the event after Terry Wogan flounced off the show in disgust at the way that in 2008 the UK had come bottom again whilst the Eastern Europeans (and Finland) were having a run of good luck, mistily declared [...]

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On growing pains.

The Star disgraced himself at the library singing group this week.
He didn’t projectile vomit all over the carpet while you were slightly too energetically flinging him back and forth during a spirited rendition of ‘Row row row your boat’. He did that aged 4 months.
He didn’t make a beeline for the nearest person with interesting [...]

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On bathtime gurgles.

So as well as sellotape and oneof the six rattley shapes that fit into the shape sorter, the other thing that makes the Star giggle is when you sing to the him after his bath.
Not just any song. You and B have been doing spirited renditions of the Russian version of the smash hit toddler [...]

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On Remembrance Day

You now no longer have any grandparents.
You miss them.
You were interested to discover yesterday that your new packet of paracetamol came encrusted with Braille, but it reminded you that you will now not be able to ask Grandma whether she finds the little bits of Braille on the buttons you press on the buses to tell the [...]

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On the music woman.

On Fridays you and the Star go to a music sit in run by the last hippie in the Western world.
You park yourself on the floor covered with all the other uncomfortable middle class mothers, some rugs and a brightly coloured maelstrom of over-excited children. Then the session begins. You are encouraged to sway, bounce and play [...]

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On more comparative linguistics.

Incidentally, you did find something new out in your first trimester, and that is that it is impossible to sing while pregnant.
Unfortunately, you discovered this by collapsing in the middle of the winter concert of your choir.
Interesting programme. You have now added two new singing languages to your repertoire: French and Russian.
French, the conductor spent [...]

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