“Quick, give me your backpacks! I’m pretending I’m in training to climb Everest.” This strange request is a regular fixture of our weekday mornings and results in my hauling leaden school packs, sports totes, swimming kits, science experiments, papier mache representations of the Isle of Wight and book bags up the hill.

“Take all the bags you want, Mum, you’ll never make it to the actual mountain,” says my older son, relieved of his burden and with plenty of renewed energy to sass me. They don’t understand that Everest is more than an epic climb and fitness incentive to me. It’s a whopping big metaphor for how it has been, adjusting to life a new country. Some days I feel I can tackle anything. On other days I hide in the laundry like a fearful dog on Guy Fawkes Night.

Since arriving in London some months ago, I have got […]

You would think I’d have family travel down by now, after having flown Sydney to London with babies and toddlers in tow more times than I care to count, but there’s always room for improvement. Now that my brood are a bit more independent: they now have their own backpacks for which they are solely responsible and can fasten their own seat belts, I can focus on sharpening my own travel style and packing skills. This includes pondering what’s ahead and what the weather may have in store, anticipating what the dress codes might dictate, knowing how to make a silk shirt work for me five ways but always, always expecting the unexpected.

They may not be babies anymore but I find it’s always helpful to have a few items packed in carry on luggage for emergencies, such as the one that befell us the last time we were travelling […]