One of the unsung advantages of divorce is, of course, the occasional bit of free babysitting done by the ex. But, as I now have stepchildren as well, and as the TWO exes schedules are hard to juggle (yes, that’s a euphemism), we rarely find ourselves with child-free time. Except this week! Obviously, we miss …
As you know I’m pretty random in the subjects I cover – anything from crochet to cookery, with a lot of teenage angst in between – but I’m thinking of spreading my wings even further. As I always say right upfront if something is sponsored (I usually use an orange subheading saying ‘Sponsored Post’), I …
Such a lovely day out yesterday in Oxford. We had lunch on the tippermost top of the Ashmolean museum, on a lovely roof terrace. It was one of those places that feels like a secret, though the fact that it was quite full proved it wasn’t. Great food and company, an intriguing back view of …
I’m not sure what I make of the Apprentice, or rather its winner, Dr Leah. On the one hand, it is great that one of the female contestants won, and even better that there were two women in the final. At the beginning of the series, it looked as though the girls were too silly, …
I’ve been dithering a bit about supporting the No More Page Three campaign. I completely agree it should go tomorrow, no question. But to be honest it doesn’t impinge on my life very often, so I can’t get as worked up about it as I know I should. I used to work in a busy …
Taking A Risk on A New Place is A Winning Move We recently did a spot of house-hunting on the Kent coast. I’ve always been a big fan of Margate and Broadstairs, and we usually do day runs down to the beaches when the weather is fine – which is all lovely, but you tend …
Watching the Lawson-Saatchi marital tribulations, and not envying Nigella being papped packing her stuff or having a scruffy Sunday with friends, has made me think how useful it would be if we could return to Victorian dress codes. All right, divorce and separation were not big in those days, but death certainly was, and it …
You may have noticed great big clusters of whitey-cream flowers appearing on trees here and there. They are elderflowers, and we’re lucky enough to have a tree in our garden, so the other day I made some elderflower cordial. Before you start thinking I’ve gone all domestic goddess on you, it’s incredibly easy to make. …
Having read through piles of analysis of the Nigella Lawson business in the Sunday papers, I suddenly remembered the novels written by Josephine Hart, who was married to Saatchi’s brother, Maurice. Hart, who died at 69 two years ago, wrote only two short novels but they were both powerfully intense, chronicling abusive, dysfunctional relationships. Damage, …
I absolutely LOVE the news that a 52-year-old Frenchwoman has been thrown out of a Baccalaureat exam for impersonating her teenage daughter. In a mean-spirited and purely speculative way, I can’t help but imagine this lady as one of those whip-thin, perfectly poised Parisiennes who spend their lives looking fabulous – and cross. The type …