Kelly Rose Bradford: Same old story - all plant, no pumpkin

REGULAR readers will recall the inception of a veggie patch at chez KRB back in the spring. With zest and vigour it was tended to for, oooh, a fortnight, at least, and chard and potatoes and tomatoes were duly harvested. Not because of careful tending, but because they grew wild and looked after themselves.Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: So, you want halloween? You're going to get it

IN ORDER to fully demonstrate that there is life on the other side of the computer screen, I've booked a holiday for myself and Boy for half term.Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: No escape from the 'chuggers'

I HATE being stopped in the street and having pressure put on me to sign up for stuff or to buy things. Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: Banks should cut the chit-chat

THE clock has been taken off the wall in my bank. This, a teller informed me, was so people did not know how long they were queuing for. Obviously there are also plans afoot to confiscate wrist-watches and mobile phones on the way in to prevent any surreptitious time checking while patiently waiting in line. Or, in my case, not so patiently.Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: Let's get something straight

SOMETIMES I am very glad I have a son and not a daughter and that, generally, with Boy's, obsession with body image and appearance does not wend its way into every area of their life, or every lesson on their school curriculum. Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: What's lurking in the back seat?

WHAT is it with the sudden trend to put ridiculous stickers and signs in car windows announcing the presence of a child in the vehicle? Ages ago, someone told me that theRead

Kelly Rose Bradford: Quietly sinking beneath the plimsoll line

DESPITE my last minute preparations, I sent Boy off to school last week looking as shiny and bright as a new pin.Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: New stationery banishes back to school blues

BY THE time this goes to print, Boy will be back at school and summer will be officially over in our house; for him this means no more lie-ins, pyjama days and endless sessions on his DS.Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: Pound shops are more than i bargained for

BOY has discovered pound shops, where a vast array of fripperies are at his disposal and nothing is beyond his means.Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: A mover not a shaker

BOY wants a piano. Or, more to the point, Boy needs a piano.Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: why boy never owned jeans

IT'S FAIR to say I am obsessed with clothes. And not just my own.Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: Alone at last, but guess what?

BOY is currently away in France. Having spent five days in the Alps with him and his dad, I flew home leaving them there to enjoy the rest of their holiday without me.Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: Embarrassing diary claims

Obviously I've known for quite some time that children love to embarrass the adults in their lives almost as much as adults like to embarrass their offspring.Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: There'll be gin in my thermos flask...

AS I WRITE this, I have exactly three hours until all hell breaks loose and remains so for eight weeks.Yes, it's the start of the school holidays.Read

Kelly-Rose Bradford: Booted and suited

CONVINCING Boy to wear a summer uniform to school - shorts and no jumper - has been something of a battle.Read

Kelly-Rose Bradford: Hair's the news - Boy's not facing the cut

I never thought I would be having to deal with 'appearance' issues with Boy while he is just six years old.Read

Kelly-Rose Bradford: Handbag essentials

THE contents of my handbag are a constant source of amusement to my family and friends, who question why I need to carry (among countless other things) a roll of parcel tape, hairdressing scissors, a tape measure, a length of ribbon, various pieces of fruit, and, at the last count, 47 used train tickets secured with an elastic band.Read

Kelly-Rose Bradford: Bouncing all the way to hospital

YET again I'm finding it's tough to stand by your decisions as a parent and keep to your beliefs and not give in to pressure. For the past three summers, I've been under increasing nagging from the Boy to buy a trampoline.Read

Kelly Rose Bradford: Common sense is not common after all

AAh, common sense. It is a dying art, particularly, I've discovered, among retailers. Or, more specifically, the shop assistants I've encountered this week.Read

Growing veggies is like having a new baby

We've been busy growing veggies, Boy and I, in a postage stamp sized plot in our back garden. Although very much the thing to do at the moment, and altogether very trendy, growing vegetables, I've discovered, in its early days is rather like having a new baby.Read