I'm going to be published!

In The Guardian no less - the Families section on Saturday. They ask people to send in things like recipes, snapshots and song memories about childhood. And they pay £75 if you're published.

I sent this photo


and wrote this...

This is a photo of me (in the trendy brown dungarees) and my sister (in our Dad's crash helmet) when I must have been 2 in 1974. I remember her dress as it was made of some sort of red fake leatherette - like a sofa! I'm screaming at her as I believe it was MY turn on the prized bike - and I do just love my physical position - real hand on hip beligerent "OI!!!".

My mother told me tales of my tantrums as a child - how I was stubborn, angry, fighting everyone and everything, and I never believed a 2 year old was capable of all that. I am now "blessed" with children of my own and my 18 month old son is me reincarnated, even down to the ginger sticky up hair. He's a holy terror - beating up his older brother, shouting at the top of his voice, screaming if he doesn't get his way, climbing onto furniture and constantly trying to escape out of the front door to play in the traffic.

All those stories have come back to haunt me....I now know that toddlers can be beelzebub incarnate one minute and a bundle of cuddlesome sweetness the next. This picture always reminds me that karma does exist - I tormented my mother and now I'm the tormented one. But I wouldn't have it any other way and I think she'd agree!

I never thought they'd publish it! But I got an email today saying it will be in this weekend - what a nice birthday present! So those few in the UK buy it! And those abroad there is a link here but the photos don't seem to be there - the rest of the part of the paper where they are is - but you never know - check on Saturday.

Now what shall I spend my money on....hmmmmm (it'll probably pay the gas bill.... )