Category Archives: Life and romance

A London antidote: the joys and jewels of Northern Ireland


Mystical light, ruby skies and shades of green that dazzle the eye; rambling roads, rocky ups and rolling downs … This is Northern Ireland, a striking, beautiful place that flies in the face of expectation to reveal visual joy, drama … Continue reading

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The poet, new friends and fifty strangers: a Christmas story.


Sunday. How I love Sunday. We wake just before ten to catch Radio 4’s finest, and with breakfast in bed relax to the familiar theme tunes that herald our favourite listening. All this before rising to buy flowers on Columbia … Continue reading

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Diaries: soulmates, dates and derring-do.


“I need the dates of all the countries I have visited since 2005,” said The Exocet from Australia. “Could you please try and remember when and where we went on holidays and trips away?” Of course my darling; I have … Continue reading

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A new life-work balance … with buttercups and daisies


The start of this year heralded what I have come to think of as The Cancer Months, now happily behind me.  Life has settled into a slower steadier pace; my body won’t accept any more or less and I listen … Continue reading

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A brief skirmish with Cancer


It started with an abdominal pain. The ache had been there for a while but as I had taken up Pilates and was using my core muscles more intensively, it became more intense too. It feels like a twisted bowel … Continue reading

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Girls on Tour: The Three Graces and a Tasmanian Roadtrip


The Three Graces at Nubeena. Painting by Tornado. Australia is a substantial and beautiful country that until recently left my interest unpiqued. Until that is, Exocet (Youngest of All) deemed her culinary career incomplete without experiencing the territory’s joyful food culture; she … Continue reading

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First impressions: the prêt à porter (re)collection


The black lace skirt with flesh tinted lining, a pale yellow silk blouse, one richly floral Chinese dress and a pair of black suede heels. These represent a handful of perfect pieces that hold memories, some momentary others momentous but … Continue reading

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Feline frolics: an East End speakeasy and a cast of urban cats


It was the shimmering pink feather that gave the game away, nestled within the fronds of her fur. Oro came home after a night out, an exhausted Max following slinkily behind, the coat between his ears curiously flattened. The cat … Continue reading

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Moving out, moving in: one street and a grand new chapter


“October,” he said. “I’ll need the house back for my daughter.” My landlord sounded vaguely apologetic but businesslike on the phone. I had been his tenant for nearly seven years, moving in a hurry to escape with my daughters from … Continue reading

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The fine art of fashion retail or “we do that one in red”


Frock shopping is not a loved pastime: browsing is anathema. If I need something new to wear, I work out what it is and where to find it. The “where” is important because I am a fan of the independent … Continue reading

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