Okay, a friend date with my cat is not something I'd ever have anticipated writing about and the people who have known me longest are entitled to laugh loudest. Go on, enjoy yourselves. Cats really weren't my thing until Gary landed at our door and forced us to care about him by being ill and cute. I've headed with his best model shot, you can see the cute...


I'm not made of stone, I tried to resist, but even I relented and it's taken a mere 2 years to get to this point... Cats will rule the universe one day. Whiskas have asked me to conjure up the perfect evening with my cat. Even Gary was surprised when I told him.


I'd have gone for the cinema, bowling and a nice sit down 3 course meal, but happily cats aren't generally allowed in restaurants or cinemas and they are rubbish at bowling, so I've settled for Gary's preferred choice, date night in. (That's a lie, but I'm not sitting on the back step for 3 hours watching the drizzle.)

In the UK today, if you are aged 5-34 you are more likely to die from suicide than anything else. It is the biggest killer of our younger population. Just think about that for a minute. More people die by their own hand than for any other reason. It takes away our children, our parents, our siblings, our friends.

But we don't talk about suicide. No-one talks about suicide.

It's really hard to talk about suicide. It's really hard for me to write about suicide.


When our 16 year old died all of the older members of our family had counselling. We'd have been completely lost without that opportunity to talk. To sit away from the children and let it out and sob and be angry and say "it's not fair". To express our worries and fears, to find out if what we felt was 'normal'. To find out if our children's response was 'normal'. To keep us going.

My youngest 2 children were under 7 when they lost their sister and deemed too young for counselling. Children under 7 react differently and in general it's expected they should be able to cope. While that might work in some cases, our whole household was shattered and those young boys had a lot to try and understand.

As time went on and my boys still struggled with their sister's death, we were dumbfounded at how to help them. I built myself up and then emailed a UK charity for children who are bereaved.

I was given internet addresses where I could download information sheets and signposted to another well-known children's charity. The information sheets were more for advice immediately following a loss and didn't really help. They focussed on Cancer and long-term illness. I contacted charity no.2.

Children's charity no.2 simply suggested that what I needed was someone who was actually more used to dealing with our specific type of loss. They directed me to a charity for people who have lost loved ones to suicide. Maybe they were right. Maybe it wasn't children's charities I needed.

Mary And The Witch's Flower is a new DVD release from Studio Ponoc. Suitable for all of the family, but best suited to those school-aged or above, this is a beautiful animated retelling of the  book The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart. It features an amazing voice cast including Kate Winslett, Jim Broadbent and Ewen Bremner.


We were sent a pre-release copy of the movie to review and I watched it with my 8 and 9 year old boys. They both enjoy anime and a good fantastical story.

Mary And The Witch's Flower tells the tale of 10 year old Mary, who is living with relatives while she waits for her parents to return from working away. It's the school Summer holidays and she is bored and lonely, the most interesting thing in her day is being told folklore by the gardener.

It's September and one of our favourite brands are back with some new games for this Autumn. Foxy Pants from Drumond Park is a great active family game that makes your children squeal with delight and excitement. This is a fox who overfills his pockets and suffers the inevitable consequence. When his pants fall it's your job to grab and save as many of the chickens as you can.... It can get quite frantic.


The game is suitable for 2-4 players aged 4+ and as you'd expect, everything you need is in the box, including 1 fox with pants, 21 chickens, 4 chicken coops, 1 dice and instructions.

SuperZings - Rivals Of Kaboom are a great little collectible rubber toy that are exactly the type of thing my 8 year old adores. Made by Magic Box Toys, the same people who created Star Monsters and Zomlings, they are available in various sets and blind bags and prices start at only 80p rrp for a single character. We were sent a big box full to review, much to the delight of my 8 and 9 year old boys...


SuperZings are the 'Rivals Of Kaboom' and there are 80 different rubbery characters to collect, split into heroes and villains. The heroes are led by Candy Strike and the villains by Pumpking.

If you have followed my blog for a while or follow me on social media then you may well be aware that my children have Grandparents living in Scotland. Not only are they on a gorgeous farm with their own bit of woodland, but they also care for, and occasionally breed, Shetland Ponies.


The ponies are well used to children because they are used for riding and carriage driving, including working with disabled youngsters, and I think they enjoy the attention as much as my boys enjoy giving it.

I have taken part in all of the other pre-event BlogOn linky posts, so there can't be a lot left I haven't told you. No going back over the answers and checking I didn't change them...

Share a photograph (a recent one so people can recognise you!). This is pretty recent from a previous BlogOn Conference and I don't think I've changed any in 5 months. I'll probably even be in the same frock... and look just as confused.


What is the best thing about blogging? I can work around my family, even all night if I have to and then sleep....erm... Sleep is for wimps.

What was your dream job when you were growing up? I wanted to teach adults. I did teach adults! I even got to help write a couple of OCN qualifications. I haven't taught since I moved up to Manchester, but I've been busy enough.

The KODAK EP101WG Security Camera has full HD video with app. controlled remote pan and tilt that really does allow you to see entirely around your camera, even directly below. It is a waterproof, outdoor model which allows you to record to SD card or Google Drive and we've been reviewing it for the last 3 weeks.


We live in a suburban house in Greater Manchester. Our street and the people in it are lovely, but even so, we have had theft from our garden in the past and we've also had vandalism. A security camera is something we think is a wise idea.


In the box is all you need barring your own device for the app. The camera itself (with mount attached), aerial, instruction booklet, power cable and fixing kit, including a very handy allen key/screwdriver tool.

The Totally Wild Fact-Packed, Fold-Out Animal Atlas by Jen Green is exactly what you'd hope. A big book with large scale colour pages full of all of the different animals you can encounter wherever you are on the globe.


Inside there are global maps and many larger scale maps for great chunks of the world, plus absolutely loads of information for each. Photographs and text support illustrations and although this is a fact book, the language used is modern and relaxed, so it doesn't feel like an educational book. Obviously it still has plenty to teach almost anyone...

Clickbait is the description for an outlandish headline or title designed to make anything seem exciting, although in the case of this game it's probably a fair description... Suitable for 3 or more players aged 14+, it's your job to think up the snappiest and most enticing clickbait. It's fast. fun and the answers can be hilarious - and sometimes genius! Sometimes not....


My game arrived in ridiculously exciting packaging, and I was even forced to open it immediately and play a test game with my 8 and 9 year old boys. Clearly they couldn't resist the clickbait... and possibly the very cool, unusually-shaped box.


Inside the box is everything you'll need, including pencils and paper for 8, game cards, instructions and special letter dice.