Hannah Lynes

Welcome! I’ve embarked on a new plan to share something of value every day. Sometimes it’s an Instagram post or a Tweet, but when I’ve got something longer to write it will be on here.

History of 49 Kelsey Lane, Beckenham

Last updated: September 28, 2021

I’ve started researching the history of 49 Kelsey Lane, Beckenham. At the moment I’ve just started collecting relevant documents and links. I’m using Notion to keep track of what I find and you can see my Notion database here. If you have any information that could be relevant please let me know. If you can…

School uniform and road safety – part 2

Published: September 25, 2021

This is an update to my original post on school uniform and road safety. After hearing from a parent in another part of the country who had found my page useful and is complaining to her local school, I’ve decided that it’s time to restart my campaign which I had begun before COVID. I am…

School uniform and road safety

Last updated: September 25, 2021

DS1’s secondary school requires the children to wear black coats and bags, in addition to black trousers, shoes and socks. I believe this makes it harder for the children to be seen by drivers and increases their risk of being involved in road accidents. I don’t think this uniform policy is unusual – I know…

Interview questions for policy roles

Last updated: August 24, 2021

Are you applying for a policy-related job? Feeling anxious about whether you’ll have the right answers to the interview questions? Worried your mind will go blank at a crucial moment? In my pre-motherhood years, I attended lots of interviews for policy roles. I always worried that I wouldn’t be able to think of the right…

Update to my Notion template for creating a database of plants

Published: August 24, 2021

This is an update to my original article about my plants database. Since I first created a database of the plants in my garden and house, I’ve been experimenting with different ways of using it and have added some new features. As my database template is available for others to use, I’m providing this update…

How to dispose of cotoneaster horizontalis

Last updated: August 24, 2021

On checking a small plant that had started growing amongst some gravel in our garden, I discovered that it is cotoneaster horizontalis. I also discovered that we have an overgrown horizontalis in front of our kitchen window. Reading up on this plant let me to realise that it’s considered to be a non-native invasive species…

Notion database of plants in my garden and house

Last updated: August 20, 2021

In this post, I’ll explain how I’m making a database of all the plants in my garden and house and I’ll signpost you to the resources I’ve used, including my own Notion template, in case you’d like to try this yourself. We recently bought a new house which has a mature garden with lots of…

Lessons from our garden

Last updated: August 17, 2021

We’ve recently bought a house with a beautiful but slightly neglected garden. Having never really been much of a gardener, I’m embarking on a steep learning curve. I’m determined to do the garden justice even though I don’t know much right now. In the last few weeks since moving in, I’ve been using Plantnet to…

Community and opportunity for new mothers in Beckenham

Last updated: August 8, 2021

Given my maternity-related roles, I’m often asked by friends and neighbours about where new mothers can get support locally. I tell them about two places where mothers can not only turn for support, but also find community and opportunity. I know there are many support options available but these are two that I know about…