I felt so sorry to hear that the MP Simon Danczuk is suffering from depression after all his work to expose historic child sexual abuse. It is hardly surprising, but very sad nonetheless. I feel that everyone is tainted by this awful abuse, apart from the abusers themselves, who seem to have no souls, so …
I’ve long been a fan of the Mapp and Lucia books by EF Benson, so I was really happy to make the most of a child-free weekend to pop down to Rye. Rye is the model for Benson’s wonderful, fictional seaside town of Tilling, where his characters, Miss Mapp and Mrs Lucas, are locked in …
There are so many tales of everyday heroism coming out of the horrific attack on holidaymakers in Tunisia. Bystanders who leapt into action with tablecloths and napkins to bandage the wounded, hotel staff who ran towards the shooting instead of away from it, in a vain bid to protect the sunbathers, ambulance staff who arrived …
It’s the hottest day of the year here and of course, being Britain, this immediately becomes a crisis. The trains are running slow and there are people collapsing at Wimbledon left right and centre court (and not just the British seeds). What better day to bring you a delectable, thirst-quenching Moijto, courtesy of TheBar.com. Once …
I’ve always loved sewing. My grandmother had a tremendously stately Singer sewing machine, which sat proudly on its own sturdy table with swirly metalwork legs. It was a very important and splendid thing, a bit like the Queen Mother, seldom wheeled out but always treated with a lot of reverence. My mother, very good at …
As I sit here trying to plan our summer holiday, with the wishes of four adults, two semi-adults and two little ones to consider, I’m reminded of fraught pre-divorce attempts to have fun in the sun – if your marriage is troubled, then summer is often a bit of a flash point. For all those …
There’s nothing that says summer to me more clearly and more beautifully than a nice set of shiny, freshly-varnished toes. My poor pinkies have spent the winter months stuffed into socks, ferociously neglected, I’m afraid, until last week, when a friend suddenly suggested a pedicure. It’s such a lovely indulgence to get it done for …
Summer’s here (or it was yesterday when it was finally warm enough in London for me to take my socks off) and it’s time to try new things. So I’ve got some make-up goodies to review, ready for you to take on holiday. 1. Eyeko Fat Brush Mascara. I was given this as a present …
I’ve noticed something really strange. I now enjoy taking things back to the shops more than I like buying stuff in the first place. Bizarre, isn’t it? For years, hunting down the perfect dress, getting it wrapped by a polite stranger and taking it home in triumph was rather a thrill. Now I get genuine …
I was so excited when a PR for the Globe Theatre invited me to a special bloggers’ theatre event. I’ve absolutely loved the Globe ever since returning to the UK, partly because it’s such a brilliant way to introduce children to Shakespeare. Ok, not teeny tiny tots – but my daughters have been going since …