The t-shirt said, I'M TROUBLE. He was three years old. He'd gone missing. And this did not help. It was the school holidays and Amanda had taken Oliver to a farming attraction. You know the kind of place. Sheep, goats and donkeys to pet — and absolutely thronging with other kids. Amanda turned her back for a second while Oliver was playing in the sand pit. And suddenly he was gone. First she called me at work — but what was I going to do? I was a forty-minute drive away… and working! Then she...

It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. For him at least. I was a blubbering wreck, but not for the reasons you might think. On Tuesday, I was up at 3:30am to drop our elder son at the airport for an early morning flight to Mexico where he was meeting up with his girlfriend. (Amanda was going to come to see him off until I pointed out the time we had to leave 😴😂) Although he's now 24, it was his first solo flight. And in fact, a rare trip abroad for him. So I helped him check in his...

Almost every night, I end up in the dark, stalking through the fields, to carry a killer home. Normally, our youngest cat, Charlie, is the sweetest, softest, most loving feline in the world. He's like a hug dressed up in fur. Often he sleeps on the bed, tucked up under Amanda's chin, and through the day he pesters whoever's around to be picked up for cuddles and kisses. Our son, Thomas, says it's pathetic. Once upon a time, I'd have agreed with him. He's actually a rescue cat, born in the...