In the dark depths of the Yorkshire winter while planning holidays I thought Loch Lomond would be a great place for a short summer break at the end of the school year. What I didn’t account for was that I’d chosen the only rainy weekend in a summer of seemingly endless scorching sunshine. But being… Read More Short break review – Loch Lomond our Scottish adventure
Last week I took part in Skipton Go-Tri. A 200 metre swim, a 9.5k bike and a 2.5k run. It allows those interested in triathlon to get an idea of what it’s all about and for the more experienced it’s a great way to practise transitions or do some training. So here’s what I learnt.… Read More Some obvious and not so obvious lessons I’ve learnt after taking part in a Go-Tri
The NHS is celebrating its 70th birthday on Thursday and I know if my Mother had been here she would have been waving the biggest of flags. Born in 1948 just like the NHS, Joyce Cook, my Mother spent more than 30 years working as a nurse and midwife. She died aged just 51 –… Read More NHS 70 – My Mother the Nurse
Looking at Louise Minchin on BBC Breakfast with her pristine blonde bob, professionally delivering the day’s news you would never imagine she spends her weekends flinging herself into lakes, hurtling down hills on a bike or running across the North West’s landscape. But just check her Twitter feed and she really is the action woman… Read More Book review: Dare to Tri by Louise Minchin
There is no doubt since the arrival of the Brownlee brothers the popularity of triathlon has exploded. The number of people now taking part in the sport has grown by almost 40 percent since 2014 and almost half of these are women. Despite having a reputation for being only for the toughest of athletes, triathlon… Read More Think triathlon is for the toughest of the tough – you’re wrong.
My husband has always been a huge fan of Kefalonia – a small island just off Greece – but having an only child we’ve always opted for places with stacks of entertainment, discos and kids clubs. However last year we booked two weeks in Lourdas a tiny resort with just a handful of shops and… Read More Thinking of booking a holiday? Here’s my review Kefalonia
The fact that I write a blog with the strap-line ‘health, wellbeing and family life’ and was going to a gin festival was an irony not lost on my 12 year old. “Well that’s not very healthy Mum is it!” he piped up. “Yeah kid – well Mum needs a night off!” was my response.… Read More Mum’s night off and a trip to a gin festival
If you have ever been to Thornton in Bradford, or like me grew up there, it is just not the sort of place you associate with trendy-hipster cafes. A large village on the outskirts of Bradford, Thornton is the birthplace of the Bronte sisters but often sits as the poor relation to Haworth – where they… Read More Must-visit trendy café review
Bernie Leonard mindfulness expert We all want a bit more mindfulness in our lives but with work, children and everything else life throws at you it can be a struggle. One formerly stressed-out busy mum, Bernie Leonard, believed mindfulness was so important she gave up a successful teaching career to completely focus on it. Mum… Read More Want a bit more mindfulness in your life? Here’s how
Phone anywhere when planning your nuptials and just by dropping the word wedding into the conversation the price of food, flowers and clothing miraculously doubles. Look at any wedding literature and it is likely to use the words ‘best day of your life’ pushing you into buying those £200 shoes and that £1,000 cake you probably… Read More No thanks to ice sculptures, £1,000 cakes and gold embossed invites for our wedding
