I unlocked the padlock, swung-open the metal door and peered into the poorly-lit storage unit. My heart immediately sank when I saw what was in there. The first thing to catch my eye among the carefully stacked boxes was a plastic shopping basket filled with the most random selection of items ever collected … [Continue Reading..]
Family Life and Lifestyle
Throwing away my youth
I unlocked the padlock, swung-open the metal door and peered into the poorly-lit storage unit. My heart immediately sank when I saw what was in there. The first thing to catch my eye among the carefully stacked … [Continue Reading...]
The Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner comes to my resuce
Picture the scene. You’ve moved into a new house with new carpets. Everything around you looks and smells new. … [Continue Reading...]
Peacock butterfly takes a rest
When you're out with your camera and something as colourful as this butterfly comes into view, it would be criminal not to take the picture. This image was taken on my recent trip to Mayfield Lavender Farm and I did … [Continue Reading...]
Motherless, as drawn by someone special
You know what it’s like when you move house; you put things in boxes and then unpack them a while later. In doing so you sometimes discover hidden gems that were long forgotten. This drawing, a picture of the statue … [Continue Reading...]
My Pet Pals: Keeping active and learning good pet care
If there’s a regular question Mrs Adams and I frequently face from our kids, it’s whether we can have more pets. We’ve given this matter serious consideration. Presently, we have the one cat and we would be open to … [Continue Reading...]
Enjoying Subway NFL Flag
While watching the World Cup with my kids, I faced a few awkward questions from Helen, my eldest daughter. She wanted to know why no women were playing and while I did explain there was a female game, she seemed … [Continue Reading...]
Family Finances
Ice, a new kind of reward scheme
Most people are members of reward schemes of one form or another. New to the market is a reward scheme called Ice that doesn’t just enable you to … [Continue Reading...]
Worrying about life insurance? The Post Office has it covered.
When a baby arrives on the scene, mum and dad have a huge amount to worry about. It’s quite understandable, especially if it’s their first child. … [Continue Reading...]
Fathers’ Issues / men’s issues
Can a daddy blog support a family of five?
Over the the past couple of months I have been publishing interviews with fathers who have achieved better work / life balance by starting their own businesses. I purposefully decided not to feature individuals from … [Continue Reading...]
PR: A good choice for a working dad?
May I introduce you to Martin Williams, working dad and founder of Radar PR? Martin is the fourth individual brave enough to feature in my series about men who set up their own companies to achieve better work / … [Continue Reading...]
A classic way to balance work and family life
In my latest article highlighting dads seeking to improve work / life balance, I speak to Claus Stig Christensen who runs classic car rental company BookAClassic. … [Continue Reading...]
Genderation: High hopes for a more equal future?
I woke up knowing I had a big day ahead of me. I was one of keynote speakers at the Genderation conference taking place at Brighton, Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College (BHASVIC). The aim of the event was to discuss … [Continue Reading...]
From 9-5 burn out to freelance work. Speaking to Alex Hirst of Hoxby Collective
Since I established this blog, I’ve written a lot about how parents are attempting to balance work and family life. … [Continue Reading...]
Cars and Automotive
A classic way to balance work and family life
In my latest article highlighting dads seeking to improve work / life balance, I speak to Claus Stig Christensen who runs classic car rental company BookAClassic. … [Continue Reading...]
Behind the wheel of the Dad Taxi
There are numerous signs that my children are getting older. Five-year-old Izzy no longer watches Paw Patrol and, nearing the end of her first year at school, has learned to read and write. Helen, who is nine, is … [Continue Reading...]
Roqing the school run in a Skoda
When I’m test driving cars, it’s sometimes very apparent when a manufacture has created something with massive appeal to the family market. Although I can only base this on my own anecdotal evidence, Skoda seems to … [Continue Reading...]
Track Days: Exciting fun for all the family
While there is nothing quite like the open road, it has its limitations. You can’t really test a car’s true performance unless you take it for a spin on a track. … [Continue Reading...]
Where are all the hot hatches now?
As a dad, I confess I haven't driven a hot hatch or had any desire to own one for some time. For me it's all about space, MPG and ease of moving car seats around. … [Continue Reading...]
Reviews
The Rug Doctor Deep Carpet Cleaner comes to my resuce
Picture the scene. You’ve moved into a new house with new carpets. Everything around you looks and smells new. … [Continue Reading...]
Reunited with my old friend, the National Express coach
It’s the summer holidays and you have to keep your children entertained. A day out seems like a good idea. You could drive, you could go by train or, alternatively, you could go via National Express coach. … [Continue Reading...]
Discovering new ways of cooking with Bakewell
Every now and again I get to review a product that I have not even thought of using, let alone have any experience of using. It was, therefore, an interesting challenge to be asked to try out some items from the … [Continue Reading...]
A visit to LEGOLAND Windsor
If you are a British kid, a trip to LEGOLAND Windsor has become a part of childhood. No doubt many mums and dads are planning to visit the resort over the summer holidays. … [Continue Reading...]
Tried and tested: the Nurofen for Children FeverSmart
If I were to think of areas of my life where I’ve seen major advances in technology, checking a child’s temperature is not one that immediately springs to mind. Within my lifetime, however, things have changed … [Continue Reading...]
Photography
Peacock butterfly takes a rest
When you're out with your camera and something as colourful as this butterfly comes into view, it would be criminal not to take the picture. This image was taken on my recent trip to Mayfield Lavender Farm and I did … [Continue Reading...]
Urban landscape photography: the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
I’ve posted a lot of nature photography on the blog recently, but this slightly abstract picture of an urban landscape appealed to me. What you see here in the foreground are the dark curves of the Aquatics Centre, … [Continue Reading...]
London’s Square Mile at night
If you like bright, colourful lights, I think you'll like this picture. It's a long-exposure shot of the Square Mile in Central London taken from Hayes Galleria on the south side of the River Thames. … [Continue Reading...]
Looking upstream from Barnes Bridge
Earlier this week I visited a part of London I'd never been to before: Barnes. I took this picture of a pleasure cruiser framed by the steel work of Barnes Bridge at the suggestion of an incredibly patient and … [Continue Reading...]
A visit to Mayfield Lavender Farm
I fulfilled an ambition of mine this week. I paid a visit to Mayfield Lavender Farm on the London / Surrey border so I could practise my photography among the purple foliage of the lavender plants. … [Continue Reading...]