Maths and I have a complicated history. Back in school, my maths teacher had a voice that could make “2 + 2” feel like a personal insult. She shouted, I panicked, and numbers became abstract monsters I didn’t stand a…
International Tea Day 2023: why midlife women need tea more than ever Tea. That humble cup of hot liquid comfort that somehow makes perimenopausal brain fog slightly less foggy at 4am. Instagram might tell you tea time is about a…
Let’s not pretend parenthood is glamorous. It’s not in our household. There’s no serene Instagram shot of me sipping a latte while Cyrus colours in neatly in the background. Nope. It’s me, hair in a sad bun, cold coffee in…
Here I am, 2am, hair in a very sad bun, clutching a lukewarm cup of coffee, and wide-eyed at the tiny human who seems intent on testing the limits of my patience. I thought I’d be fretting over wrinkles and…
Confession: I’m a little superstitious, and celebrating Persian traditions like Nowruz and Sizdah Bedar in the UK is therapy when we don’t get to see family. After a rather muted pandemic year, we were determined to bring our Persian customs…
Every year, as spring arrives, I find myself wrestling with the Sofreh Haft Sin, our Persian New Year table. For the uninitiated, Nowruz (“No-rooz”) marks the first day of spring and the start of the Persian calendar. And the Sofreh…
If you’re imagining a quiet evening at home, think again. As the Persian New Year edged into our lockdown lives, we went full-on for Chaharshanbe Suri. For those who don’t know, Chaharshanbe Suri is a Persian festival celebrated on the…