This we week are...

loving two amazing women

Often they are the very first person we encounter in the world, the eternal place we find peace and safety, from day one, right through

adulthood. But, as well as being filled with love and support, friendship and guidance, the relationship between mother and child can be complicated. In this week’s big interview, on pages six and seven, comedian Arabella Weir opens up about her unconventional upbringing – describing her mother as “not at all equipped in any way, shape or form” – and how her unhappy childhood influenced her own parenting style with kids Isabella, 21, and Archie, 20, as well as her new stand-up routine. Appearing at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe for the first time, the 61-year-old has turned her experiences into a painfully funny exploration of motherhood, in her one-woman show, Does My Mum Loom Big In This? Deciding to step out in front of an audience at the world’s largest arts festival was a daunting prospect for Arabella, and she’s not the only amazing woman to share her adventurous career change in this week’s P.S. On page 13, we speak to Kirsty Olychick, 39, who last year left her home in Canada to take up a coveted spot on the apprenticeship programme at the Cambus Cooperage in Clackmannanshire, becoming one of the first women in the country to learn the ancient craft of barrel-making. Although on different paths, with widely different futures stretched out in front of them, I hope both Arabella and Kirsty’s stories will give you a little inspiration for the week ahead.