Putting the kettle on, I settled down on the sofa and phoned my mum Alison, 49. ‘Hello, love, what have you been up to?’ her cheery voice answered.
I’d recently moved from my hometown Swindon to Swansea with my kids.
It’d been tough leaving my friends and family behind, especially Mum.
But I’d wanted to have a fresh start with my littl’uns Shania, 10, and Brandon, 6.
Mum and I remained as close as ever, though.
And whenever I could, I’d call her for a catch-up.
We loved a good natter, could talk for hours.
She doted on my other siblings, too – Tanya, 30, Kylie, 26, Kiaron, 24, Melissa, 22, Jasmine, 19, Shannon, 18, and Cameron, 12.
‘You kids are my world,’ she’d tell us.
And although there were…
