It's A Pretty Brutal Process, Having A

I Am A Good And Interested Mother - Which Has Surprised Me.

That's Writing For You: When You Make Space For Passion, It Doesn't Turn Up.

I Don't Really Believe In Stories, Only In The People Who Tell Them.

The 'good' Mother, With Her Fixed Smile, Her Rigidity, Her Goody-goody Outlook, Her Obsession With Unnecessary Hygiene, Is In Fact A Fool. It Is The 'bad' Mother, Unafraid Of A Joke And A Glass Of Wine, Richly Self-expressive, Scornful Of Suburban Values, Who Is, In Reality, Good.

Hope Is One Of Those No-win-no-fee Things, And Although It Needs Some Encouragement To Survive, Its Existence Doesn't Necessarily Prove Anything.