CURTAIN UP ON ANOTHER YEAR

irthdays are usually a personal affair—a time for others to celebrate you. Things are a bit different in our house, however, with Morticia’s birthday falling the day after mine. The beginning of May is entirely about "us": first me, then her. This year, there are no milestone birthdays to celebrate, and the plans are staying quite low-key.

STEEL BONES AND STERILE AISLES

eadowhall: a glass and steel monolith built over the bones of the old Hadfields Ltd steelworks in the Don Valley. I found myself there this week with Morticia, on a mission to find birthday cards for one another. Having just finished a shift at work, my enthusiasm was non-existent—though, in fairness, I never have much time for the place.