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Times Online - Women (10 unread)

Tom Hurndall: his death was like a bomb going off in the middle of the family

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 6:00pm CDT

When a young person dies, the instinctive reaction of those who love him is to dwell on his qualities, often to a point where the lost one becomes a hero. He was extraordinary, courageous, determined to make a difference, they say. All those words have been used about Tom Hurndall and, as his sister Sophie likes to point out with amusement and affection, they are a considerable part of the truth, but not all of it.

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Dr Tanya Byron: Why are my sisters so hostile about my mother's will?

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 6:00pm CDT

My mother died in 2004 leaving my brother and me as executors of her will. I am the eldest of four and I have two younger sisters. Before my mum died she was in hospital for six months after a minor operation that went tragically wrong. When she was discharged she was practically paralysed from the waist up and I had to organise round-the-clock care. My two younger sisters often refused to take their turn in looking after her and from then on there has been constant disagreement. When my mum died I organised the funeral and made sure everyone was able to contribute to it. Since then, however, despite ensuring that all matters relating to the estate are available to all, every decision I try to make is belittled and questioned, even though I do not have all the answers as the solicitor still deals with some aspects. It got to the point where rude texts were being circulated. Anger is rarely directed towards my brother, it is mostly about me. One sister even involves my niece and nephew, who are rude to me but not to my brother. After one particularly nasty incident I did not speak to this sister for six months. Several weeks ago my husband suggested that I call her and ask to come to her house to discuss the situation. She phoned back to say that she didn't want me to come over, but that she would come to me. I decided not to go ahead as I believe that she should be open about where the meeting should be. I would welcome your suggestions on how to close this increasing chasm in our family.

End of the supernanny

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 6:00pm CDT

To many prospective nannies, this advertisement on an agency website reads like a dream: a flat in Notting Hill, a car and trips to St Tropez to look after two small children, for a tax-free salary of almost £30,000. But as the world's financial markets lurch from one crisis to the next, jobs such as these may turn out to be just that.

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Times Online - Women (10 unread)

Tom Hurndall: his death was like a bomb going off in the middle of the family

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 6:00pm CDT

Dr Tanya Byron: Why are my sisters so hostile about my mother's will?

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 6:00pm CDT

End of the supernanny

Posted: October 6th, 2008, 6:00pm CDT