Last year someone I follow on Twitter tweeted that he thought it was unbearably smug to send Christmas emails instead of cards and donate the money to charity. It was someone I’ve followed and admired for years, and the comment stung. I’ve been sending Christmas emails so long that I can’t remember when I started,… [read more]
Best Christmas presents for women
Only three weeks till Christmas and from now until the day itself there will be endless gift guides published by papers, magazines, blogs and retailers suggesting the best Christmas presents for everyone in your life. I thought it would be interesting to look at it from a different angle to the usual lists of perfume,… [read more]
Buy once?
I applaud the principle of buy once, buy well, and never need to replace. And I think we could all use the buy once policy for certain items, particularly things that are robust and get better with age. For example, kitchenware comes to mind – cast iron casserole dishes, coffee makers, chef’s knives. Products that… [read more]
Social media on your own terms
I was late to Instagram, only beginning to post and participate last year. It felt like a natural complement to this blog, and a good place to be seen. At first I was delighted by all the pretty pictures. It was like having free access to an infinite variety of glossy magazines – houses, nature,… [read more]
Reasons to be cheerful in March
The wind may still be cold, you may feel battered by last week’s weather, but there are many reasons to be cheerful in March. Here are just a few: 1. Congratulations, you have survived winter, the Beast from the East and Storm Emma. 2. Spring is coming and there are six months ahead when it’s… [read more]