This past Sunday was Mother’s Day in the US, Canada and South America (most of it I think). Forgive me if I’ve left some places out. Of course, “Mothering Sunday” in the UK is in March. Needless to say, for cross-cultural families like mine, this causes some confusion. Several years ago I made what I thought was a quite clear pronouncement that I had decided to celebrate UK Mother’s Day, and that everyone was off the hook for the US one. Being the compulsive maternal type that I am, I still make sure, each March, to remind my offspring that the day is approaching. But I still get sheepish phone calls in May asking, “have I screwed up?” Bless them.

I also, of course, have to remember my own mother (thankfully!) on the appropriate Sunday, and that’s always a bit tricky because there aren’t any reminders scattered around London to help me out. So why am I rambling on about this? I like to think that I don’t ramble purposelessly too much on this blog, but I guess I just wanted to say Happy Mother’s Day (belatedly for all) to every mother out there.