View tag: family

Friday column: Happy Christmas 2018

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Friday 21st December 2018

The Christmas tree is up, festooned with decorations and, thanks to our wonky wooden floor, leaning at a jaunty angle. One of my favourite moments of the festive season is opening the cupboard under the stairs and hauling out the dusty ragbag of baubles, hearts, stars and angels we’ve collected over the years. They all have their own history, from the glittery heart my daughter’s teacher Annie gave her in ...keep reading

Friday column: Exam results and holidays

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Friday 24th August 2018

It was a day I’d been dreading. The lease on my son’s rented house came to an end this week and he asked me to help him move out. He’s fiercely independent and would have done the move by himself – except he’s got mountains of stuff, a turbo trainer and several bikes. He doesn’t have a car and the insurance on hiring a van would be sky-high. But when ...keep reading

The kindness of Nigella

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Sunday 28th January 2018

My mum interviewed Nigella Lawson countless times – and they got on really well. Her admiration for the domestic goddess grew after my mum accidentally burned her foot on a heater in her London flat. She wrote about the injury in her column and to her astonishment Nigella sweetly sent her a pot of Elizabeth Arden cream that she swore would heal the burn. Sure enough, it did – much ...keep reading

Nearly Happy New Year

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Thursday 28th December 2017

“All good wishes for a peaceful Christmas. Stay safe in 2018 in this strange and troubled world.” That’s what my wise Evening Standard friend David M wrote in his Christmas card and I couldn’t have put it better myself. What an unsettling year 2017 has been. On a personal level there have been highs and lows. The highs included bursting with pride when I saw my son graduate in July, ...keep reading

The kindness of strangers: Part 4

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Sunday 22nd January 2017

Buying a tumbledown farmhouse in the south of France is probably the most impulsive thing I’ve ever done and even though I sold it two years ago it continues to hold a place in my heart. Every time I think about waking up to that stunning view of La Roche Colombe or drinks under the plane tree with friends the years roll back and I’ve fallen under its spell again. ...keep reading

The kindness of strangers: part 3

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Monday 14th March 2016

The alarm bells started ringing when my son FaceTimed me from France in the middle of the day. I usually ring him, not the other way round, and we mostly speak in the early evening – so I knew something was up. I was right to be worried. It turned out that his bike chain had snapped when he was cycling at top speed, sending him crashing to the ground and damaging his shoulder, arm and ...keep reading

Christmas treats: From Trivial Pursuit to sprouts

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Tuesday 29th December 2015

Christmas 2015 flew by in a blast of last-minute dashes to the shops, family festivities and storms that lashed our house near the sea. Four days on, our family guests have departed, my son’s resumed his cycling regime and my husband’s working 16 hours a day on his latest business venture. As for me, I’ve been mulling over the standout memories from this year’s Christmas. In no particular order, here are some ...keep reading

#Tous au bistrot

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Friday 27th November 2015

The French capital fell silent today, in tribute to the 130 victims who died at the hands of the terrorists in the Paris attacks. Blue, white and red flags fluttered from every window as survivors, relatives of the dead and political leaders gathered under a wintery sky for a remembrance ceremony at Les Invalides. It’s still hard to comprehend the terrible events of Friday November 13. But one thing’s for ...keep reading

Where the electrician ate his picnic

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Friday 30th October 2015

The discovery of a diary I kept during a family holiday in France is a reminder of how much childhood has changed in the last 40 years. I was in my early teens at the time – gauche, awkward and alarmingly unsophisticated. Forget make-up, boys, sleepovers and texting, my holidays were spent playing endless rounds of a board game called Exploration with my sister, reading Lynne Reid Banks books (The L-Shaped Room was the ...keep reading

A Lake District weekend

Published by Emma Lee-Potter in on Saturday 10th October 2015

I’ve just spent a magical four days staying at my in-laws’ house in the Lake District. My husband’s parents smartly bought a house in the peaceful and breathtakingly beautiful Newlands Valley more than 50 years ago and my husband spent every Easter and summer holiday there as a child. For a myriad of complex reasons we haven’t visited for four years – until this month, when we had a blissful four ...keep reading