Images of Ukraine a stark contrast to family life in Worthing

As my children played happily on the beach on Saturday, it was hard not to think about the stark juxtaposition between their carefree happiness and the images I’ve seen of hundreds of thousands of terrified children and their families having to flee their homes as the conflict continues between Ukraine and Russia.

I’m not usually one for political commentary, but I think you’d have to be made of stone not to feel heartbroken for the people of Ukraine as their lives are being torn apart.

Yes, there might be repercussions for all of us in Europe as this war rumbles on, but all I can really feel now apart from utter sadness for the people going through this is completely grateful

I’ve always adored being a mum, but when something like this happens it just makes you look at everything with a renewed sense of appreciation.

As my children, my husband and I ran around on the pebbles and played hide and seek in the Waterwise playpark, I felt unbelievably lucky that my family is living in relative safety.

It’s a feeling I’ve carried with me all week, and it made everything I did seem extra special.

Have you read about the venomous creatures washing up on our beaches?

As I’ve written about before, I try to run at least three times a week, but I usually do it solo. My daughter has been keen to come with me for a while, so I thought I’d finally make it happen this weekend.

I wasn’t sure how far she’d manage to run. She is super speedy at sprinting, but her longevity is relatively untested, bar competing in the inter-schools cross-country event at The Gallops last year.

But she really surprised me, and managed almost three miles, with only a brief stint of walking when her ankle started hurting. That wasn’t really what mattered, though. The distance was irrelevant, as it was just completely joyous to have half an hour of chat with her, that wasn’t interrupted by the busy comings and goings of family life.

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At home there’s always a text to answer, the doorbell ringing, dinner to cook... It sounds awful when you write it down like this, but when else would you ever sit down for half an hour with your child and give them your undivided attention without any distractions? I’ve found it a very guilt-inducing thought to ponder on (although, are you even doing parenting right if you’re not feeling guilty for at least 95 per cent of the time?!)

I’ve promised her we’ll do it more regularly from now on. And more than that, I’ve promised myself, because it was so lovely. My son, who is three, is desperate to come, too. So I might find myself doing a mini jog along the road with him as well.

n While time with my family will always be my first love, it’s always nice to have a date night with just the hubby, too. Such an opportunity popped up on Friday night when my parents offered to babysit, so 
we could go out for dinner and to see a movie. We tried the new Mexican street food restaurant, Crudo, on Worthing seafront, and I’m happy to report it was 
fab. I had an amazing chicken burrito and the hubby had goat tacos. He’s still talking about the dipping broth they came with, so I think it’s safe to say we’ll be back there again soon. We were back at The Connaught again this week for the cinema portion of our date. They were showing The Bodyguard – to mark its 30th anniversary – and although I’ve seen the film before, it was a real treat to see it on the big screen for the first time. The only sad thing was that the audience was so small. I know I labour the point, but please use our amazing cinemas!