Category Archives: Relationships

Relationships, marriage and friendships

On driving and marital disagreements

08 Monday Dec 2014

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Marital arguments

I reckon there’s one place that sees more marital arguments than anywhere else. Forget the bedroom, it’s all about the car.

The first argument I ever had with the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine was in his car. I can’t remember the finer details but it had something to do with a disagreement over the speed limit. Sound familiar?

We’re not an argumentative couple, but I think it’s safe to say that 99% of our rows have been in the car. If it’s not over directions then it’s to do with speed, missed road signs or dodgy parking. It doesn’t help that we’re usually running late, which adds to the pressure.

One of our most heated arguments took place on the way to the hospital when I was in labour with Frog. “DON’T DRIVE SO FAST!” I shouted at the NLM. “I’M GOING 40! THE SPEED LIMIT’S 40!” He yelled back. The rest is lost in a midst of contractions and deep breathing.  Continue reading »

Spoiling the man

03 Tuesday Jun 2014

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Father's Day gift ideas

The first time I ever kissed the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine it was by a toilet, in a sticky-carpeted nightclub in the romantic hotspot that is Reading. Later, he warned me he wasn’t the “slushy” type, because “Where I’m from – in Rochdale – we aren’t like that.”

Two years later we welcomed our baby girl into the world and a year after that we got married.

Married

That will be three years ago this summer but, in many ways, it feels like much longer. We’ve been through lots together in the past three years: saving up for a house, moving 200 miles to another part of the UK, buying a house, working hard in different jobs, getting pregnant with baby number two. Continue reading »

Lessons I learned while doing DIY with my husband

15 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by in Home, Relationships

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DIY

Last week proved to be the biggest test to my marriage yet. Forget childbirth, newborn babies and living without a dishwasher. This was far, far worse.

We battled through it and came out the other side, I’d like to say stronger than before, but that’s debatable. Here are the lessons I learned during the testing period that was our first ever major DIY project together. A period covering four days of blood, sweat and tears. Literally.

1) My husband thinks I am like my mother Continue reading »

Keeping in touch with old friends

12 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by in Relationships, Well being

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When we first moved to Devon last summer, I remember being worried about losing touch with all the friends we’d made in Berkshire. Frog had plenty of little friends she’d regularly go on play dates with and I’d made new friends in our village too. The (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine had his own mates from teacher training days, work and the pub, so we were leaving quite a few people behind.

The truth is though, that since the age of eighteen, I’ve never lived in one place for very long. I went to university in Cardiff, then spent a year working and travelling, before doing my journalism training for a year in Falmouth in Cornwall and then heading over to Brighton and then up to Hull for respective jobs. I arrived in Reading a year later, before moving to the countryside a couple of years after that. Continue reading »

A date night

01 Friday Nov 2013

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Bride and Groom

Photo credit: CP Photography

This is us, just over two years ago.

I married the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine at the end of August in 2011. It was an incredible day. We had fizz and sunshine, bunting and good food. There was dancing and we were surrounded by all the people we love. It was everything a good wedding should be.

And then started married life. Continue reading »

How do you define “team player” as a parent?

17 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by in Family, Motherhood, Relationships, Work

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Parenting as a team

When you raise kids with someone, I guess it’s pretty obvious that there has to be an element of “team playing” in the role. I’m not talking about being consistent with behaviour, or praise, or whatever – I’m on about the more back-to-basics stuff. The DOING stuff. The bits of being a parent and living in a house that are vital, but often overlooked because they’re just so, well, OBVIOUS.

When I first became a mum I was on maternity leave for a year. The first part of the year was all newborn baby sleep deprivation, adjustment and trying desperately to get out to meet other mums. The second part of the year was all about setting up a new direction in my career, building a portfolio so I could start freelancing.  Continue reading »

What I’ve learned in two years of marriage

27 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by in Relationships, Uncategorized

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Wedding birdcage

Photo Credit: CP Photography

It seems hard to believe that I became a wife two years ago today. So much has happened since our wedding day, but it still feels like it was only last week.

I can remember that day with such clarity; the excitement and anticipation when I woke up in the morning, the lump of emotion that caught in my throat when I put on the wedding dress my mum had made, the look on my dad’s face when he gave his speech.

The thing is, a wedding is about so much more than one day. Our wedding day itself couldn’t have been more perfect, but it’s the last two years being married which have counted for more than any flowers or pretty dresses. Continue reading »

A night off: Live By The Lake

26 Monday Aug 2013

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Live By The LakeOn Friday the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine and I handed our three year old over to her grandparents and drove all the way to London for a date night.

It’s the first time we’ve headed back that way since moving from Berkshire to South Devon and – once we’d got over the loooooong journey – we were very happy to find ourselves in the capital for a night at Live By The Lake.  Continue reading »

A night off

15 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in Motherhood, Relationships

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Next Friday the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine and I are ditching our parental responsibilities for the night and going off on a jolly to London. The reason? We’ve been invited along to experience Live By The Lake at Kenwood House. And I can’t bloody wait.

I’m a firm believer that parents need some downtime too, and what better way to grab that time than an open air concert at a stunning venue like this?

Kenwood HouseWe’re going with friends, so it should be a brilliant night of relaxation and fun. Plus, I have won some major wife points for getting tickets to see my husband’s favourite band of the 90s – Suede.  Continue reading »