The Pig’s Arms would like to extend a warm welcome to a  new contributor, LindyP.

My morning walk is early these days before the fierce Perth sun penetrates into every pore in my skin.

I pounded up the hot hill ,turning to face the busy road and saw a brightly coloured biro on the pavement , still pristine in it’s package. Then I remembered -kids are back at school today. What a shame, some child will find their brand new pen missing out of their school bag.

Another five minutes along the footpath was a bus shelter , and lo and behold there was a drink bottle sitting forlornly on the seat.

And then I wondered about all the children starting a new school year, some with excitement about meeting new friends, teachers etc. But what about others ? What about the ones that have left the family home without breakfast or without a ‘take care’ or ‘good luck today love ‘? Will anyone be there when they come home after school, full of the day’s events, longing to be able to share their enthusiasm ? Perhaps not .

I often think about and regret my lack of mothering skills when my two kids were
young ,and observe and wonder at how they turned into such beautiful people -more by luck than judgement on my part, but I think they know they were loved, and I feel so sad that so many children today are not loved the way they should be.