Bill Gates’ new book, How To Avoid A Climate Disaster is not an easy read. If you read for pleasure or for escapism, I suggest you do not add this sobering book to your pile of bedtime reading. Bill Gates tells us that climate scientists have confirmed that we are already in a state of ... Read more

It appears that times are changing and most of us are more likely to be glued to our screens than engrossed in a book. I’ve been as guilty of this as anyone during lockdown!  Not so long ago, I used to have quite a few chats about which books friends and family were reading. Nowadays ... Read more

There’s nothing better when you live in a city than taking a walk into a vast spacious landscape. London parks are cultivated by expert gardeners and of course, the manicured gardens are such a pleasure to explore, but to walk up hilly slopes and into a wild woodland breathing in clean country air is especially ... Read more

Around this time of the year, we start to wonder about our Summer holidays. The last few years we’ve been on a cruise or two. We’re really missing it. Last year there were no exotic cocktails or musical spectaculars, no pink sunsets glistening on the calm seas, no hour-long full body massages or dance lessons. ... Read more

Although we are now immersed in yet another lockdown, I think we all feel quite relieved that 2021 has finally dawned. Looking back on the year 2020 and the extraordinary things that happened within society as a whole has been a strange experience. Deciding how to pitch my column during lockdown has been a challenge ... Read more

Phew! I managed to catch St Albans Farmers’ Market just before another lockdown was announced. I discovered three delicious foods which will become regular additions to my pantry – chestnut honey, chilli cheese and chilli vodka. Of course this Christmas will be different for us all, but at least we can cherish happy memories from ... Read more

They say that a good walk in nature can cure many ills. How is it that such a simple act can clear the brain, seriously lower stress levels and induce a feeling of enhanced well-being within us all? Nothing could ever compare to feeling part of that inherent seasonal dynamism, that sense of the ‘now’ ... Read more

I was never one for housework. I find is so time consuming and not hugely rewarding. I love that famous Quentin Crisp quote: “There’s no need to do any housework at all. After the first four years the dirt doesn’t get any worse.” These days I can see the importance and satisfaction of having a ... Read more

I enjoy reading many different genres and being at 66 Book Club in Hemel Hempstead was like going to ‘Book Heaven’. Upstairs, every single shelf within aisle upon aisle was piled high with pristine quality paperbacks. Down on the ground floor there were countless more books of all shapes and sizes. The question I had ... Read more

Lockdown has certainly reminded us about the importance of our individual freedom, and that our happy memories are made up of personal life experiences, not possessions. Something that I guess we had forgotten in pre-Covid times. As I wrote this piece, I felt an inner contentment and re-lived many wonderful ‘showtime’ experiences. It felt great ... Read more