I’m in a right old strop tonight because of a disposable comment from a colleague today who implied that if you are not a parent then you have no right to a home life. In other words – you can’t complain about gruelling schedules or being away from home if you don’t have the built-in, ready-made excuse of needing to get home for poor little Johnnie.

Well all I can say is ‘bugger that’ – I may not have kids but I am still as entitled to a home life as anyone who has.

So, I’m throwing things around and generally getting my knickers in a twist.

Will I get over my belligerent, frenzied anger before I have to leave home at the crack of sparrows to spend two days in Liverpool arriving at home at around 10pm on Wednesday night? Probably not – in fact I’ll probably have worked myself up about it even more by then. I just don’t get it – what is it about some parents that make them feel they have more rights and fewer obligations than the rest of us? Even the government are at it now – parents are singled out for tax breaks and better working conditions than the rest of us. It baffles me totally why this should be the case.

Ah well, Linda – just get your nose back on that grindstone and keep on churning out the work……..you are, after all, a second-class citizen, someone who has let society down in every way imaginable by not having kids, you are someone with no value in our economy and no right to anything other than the scorn and vilification from the ‘decent, honest, upstanding good parents’ that we want in our society – you are not a MOTHER.

I wonder how often the chancellor of the exchequer analyses who pays the most in tax, I wonder how often big businesses reflect on the skills gained and experience that a lifetime of unbroken service bring to our business. I wonder whether there might be a tax break in the next budget for those who don’t burden the health service or local authority spending with children needing endless medical attention, schooling, parental leave, family credits or any other form of bribery, state or otherwise to procreate.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m very happy for all those parents out there – I just want to be treated with an equal amount of compassion about my precious home life – that’s all – no more and no less than any one else.

Poor old DM has borne the brunt of this outburst again – unfortunately when I picked up the offending email he walked through the door of my office a few seconds later.

Now I’m full of guilt and remorse because it’s not his fault and because my few precious hours this evening have been marred by this thing.

Ah well, as they say, ‘don’t get mad, get even’. Hee hee now this could be fun!!!

Last year today we met Ray for the first time - that seems like a lifetime ago.....