Christmas in the Kitchen with a Ten Month Old

When Nino was just seven weeks old, two weeks before his open heart surgery, we hired a professional photographer to capture a morning in the life of our little family of three. Those newborn days disappear so quickly that it felt like a precious and important milestone to mark, and, with the operation (hopefully) far behind us, I can now admit I was also scared that those happy moments could be some of our last. This world we live in works in weird and wonderful ways, and two thirds of a year later here we are, happy as can be. A little sleepless, perhaps, but I’d rather be kept awake at night by a bouncing ten month old with a lust for life than intangible fears for its future.

When the same photographer got in touch to say she was keen to capture the preparations of a few families in the run up to Christmas, we jumped at the chance. She describes her photos as ‘imperfect, real, crazy, messy, funny, impossible, bonkers’ and ‘one of the best future gifts you could give to your children’ and I couldn’t agree more. A baby’s first Christmas is an incredibly magical time, and although it will stay etched in my memory forever, I’m so happy Nino will now have something special to look back on too. Continue reading →

4May2016

How To Mend a Broken Heart: Nino’s Hospital Story

Blogging is a funny thing. In the five plus years since I first pressed publish, I’ve built up a community of not just contacts but friends, sharing life-changing events like getting engaged and married, writing a cookbook and getting pregnant. It’s a deeply personal place, yet simultaneously accessible to any stranger, which is why I had to think hard about how much of Nino’s story to share in this space. But after some deliberation I realised that it’s too important not to tell; for me as a journal and catharsis of sorts, for Nino when he’s older to see how far he’s come, for loved ones to understand what we’ve been through, and even for those strangers to raise awareness of the rare congenital heart conditions that can happen in any pregnancy. Continue reading →

7Mar2016

Blood Orange & Pistachio Pavlovas

Over the years, friends have sought advice about relationships. I’m not an overly qualified – or interfering – agony aunt kind of a person, I just mean those conversations that come up over morning coffees and late night cocktails as people wonder if a particular love interest is working out, are they worth the extra effort and ‘is he or she THE ONE’? One friend, while drawing up a list of pros and cons about their partner, asked how they’d truly know if this was the love of their life and my answer – the fact they were writing that list and even questioning the relationship – was simply, you’ll just know. Yes there will be ups and downs and reasons to feel frustrated with, or maybe even momentarily hate, the most important person in your life, but beyond all shadow of a doubt, that underlying love and need to be together will win out. True love is unconditional, all consuming and inescapable. Continue reading →