Well homework is all the rage at the moment isn’t it? Barely a day goes by when it isn’t in the headlines. … [Continue Reading..]
Family Life and Lifestyle
Homework, that FoI request and problems with the school system
Well homework is all the rage at the moment isn’t it? Barely a day goes by when it isn’t in the headlines. … [Continue Reading...]
#SportForEverybody and the Domyos compact DS bodyweight rack from Decathlon
Sport can be quite a polarising subject. I find that some people love sport, while others abhor physical exercise. The #SportForEveryBody campaign from Decathlon aims to show that sport is just that, for everybody. … [Continue Reading...]
A Surrey landscape: Same photograph, four different edits
Earlier this week I travelled into London to attend the Internet Marketing Show. Unfortunately the early stage of my journey was beset with problems and I found myself unexpectedly stranded at a very rural train … [Continue Reading...]
Why pay a subscription when you can have Freesat TV?
I looked at the huge pile of ironing and wondered how I was going to take my mind off this dull task. Then I remembered a new series of Doctor Who had recently got underway with Jodie Whittaker playing the first … [Continue Reading...]
Papoosegate and why using a baby carrier is not emasculating
I shouldn’t be writing this blog post. I had to have an argument with myself about the fact it would bring further attention to Piers Morgan and his high-profile comments about Daniel Craig using a baby carrier. I … [Continue Reading...]
Parental guilt v parental frustration. Which do you suffer from?
When it comes to parental guilt, I am something of an expert. Guilt follows me everywhere, but I have been wondering whether it really is guilt, or frustration at not being able to do 100% for my kids 24/7, 365? … [Continue Reading...]
Family Finances
Can you help your children with their maths homework?
I did something a little out of the ordinary the other day. While taking part in a live television broadcast discussing maths homework, I … [Continue Reading...]
The Dadindex Report: How dads spend their money and time
I have long been curious about the amount of purchasing power that dads have. How much do they spend on their kids and how much influence do they … [Continue Reading...]
Fathers’ Issues / men’s issues
Papoosegate and why using a baby carrier is not emasculating
I shouldn’t be writing this blog post. I had to have an argument with myself about the fact it would bring further attention to Piers Morgan and his high-profile comments about Daniel Craig using a baby carrier. I … [Continue Reading...]
My experience of fatherhood is different to most
I sometimes look at my life and have to remind myself my experience of fatherhood is very different to many other menfolk. Put bluntly, my existence has gone off in a completely different direction compared to my … [Continue Reading...]
Equal Lives: Men, women, caring responsibilities and the workplace
Trying to balance caring responsibilities with employment is never easy. Going back several years, I had a part time job that I left when my eldest daughter started school. I tried to make it work for several months … [Continue Reading...]
Midlife crisis? What midlife crisis?
I’ve been thinking a lot about ageing recently. I’ve had reason to. Earlier this year my father-in-law passed away and such events always concentrate the mind. Added to this, my brothers have both had children and … [Continue Reading...]
An unlikely route to better work/ life balance: Artificial foliage
Next time you are in a hotel or restaurant and admiring the artificial foliage, keep in mind that it may have been supplied by Mark Gurtler's company, Greenbrokers. This former management consultant remembers his … [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
#SportForEverybody and the Domyos compact DS bodyweight rack from Decathlon
Sport can be quite a polarising subject. I find that some people love sport, while others abhor physical exercise. The #SportForEveryBody campaign from Decathlon aims to show that sport is just that, for everybody. … [Continue Reading...]
Why pay a subscription when you can have Freesat TV?
I looked at the huge pile of ironing and wondered how I was going to take my mind off this dull task. Then I remembered a new series of Doctor Who had recently got underway with Jodie Whittaker playing the first … [Continue Reading...]
Creating unicorns with STAEDTLER
I don’t quite understand where the current trend for unicorns comes from, but they are everywhere. Unicorns are on my daughters’ clothes and headbands, school bags and just about everywhere else. Of course you can … [Continue Reading...]
Making my own aftershave with The Perfume Studio
I do love a good scent. It's all very well liking aftershave, but could I create my own scent at home? With the help of The Perfume Studio, that's exactly what I've done. … [Continue Reading...]
Pouring the perfect pint of Ember Inns pale ale
I’ve been set numerous challenges during my life. Most have involved studying or passing exams or some kind of sporting feat. None of the challenges I’ve been set, however, have been as appealing as attempting to … [Continue Reading...]
Photography
A Surrey landscape: Same photograph, four different edits
Earlier this week I travelled into London to attend the Internet Marketing Show. Unfortunately the early stage of my journey was beset with problems and I found myself unexpectedly stranded at a very rural train … [Continue Reading...]
Looking across the Bristol Channel from Porthcawl
Towards the end of the summer holidays, Helen, Izzy and I briefly visited Wales. We stayed at Porthcawl and I was mesmerised by the landscape. If I hadn’t been flying solo with the kids, I could happily have spent a … [Continue Reading...]
So much to look at in this spider’s web
Here's a photography post with a bit of a difference. I recently went out and tried to photograph a spider's web in the early morning dew and it proved to be a real challenge. I tried again this week, taking myself … [Continue Reading...]
An autumn walk that paid well for Helen
"Daddy, I don't want to go for a walk," said Izzy. We'd spent most of the day inside either doing domestic chores or at Helen's gymnastics class. being a beautiful autumn day, I wanted the kids and I to get out and … [Continue Reading...]
Here’s looking at you kid
Having learned that the secret to getting a good photograph can involve being somewhere at the right time, I paid a visit to the London Borough of Croydon just before sunrise. I had heard about an urban art festival … [Continue Reading...]