HOW DO WE CARVE OUT A LIFE THAT SUITS US – NOT SOCIETAL EXPECTATIONS? ON ENTERING HER 40S, Poorna Bell DECIDED TO EXAMINE EVERYTHING SHE’D BEEN CONDITIONED TO BELIEVE AS A WOMAN… AND THEN DO IT DIFFERENTLY

YOU can’t just throw it all in a skip, Mum!” Bryony’s voice was muffled by a dust mask as she crouched in the loft space, carefully avoiding bumping her head on the beams. She examined a battered trun

Do you remember that park you used to take me to as a kid, the one with the red, boat-shaped climbing frame? It wasn’t too far from our home in Hull where we lived. You’d often sit on a bench chatting

AMELIA arrives home from her half-day at work. She has the week’s shopping and quickly squirrels everything away, leaving just her children’s magazines on the kitchen table. Seeing she only has three-

I met a man at work this week who had his first child five weeks ago. He looked sleep-deprived, wide-eyed and a little ashen. I felt no nostalgia for those early days and had to stop myself from commi

Chloe checked her phone yet again. Nothing. But he was bound to text her soon to tell her how sorry he was. Surely he must have realised by now that he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. Breaking