Dear Richard: ‘My mother-in-law is coming between my mother and me’
Dear Richard, My mother-in-law moved in with us after her husband died and while it had always been on the cards and there’s plenty of room for…
How families can help protect the environment at home — top tips for 2022
Use refillable containers Single-use plastic is an ever-growing problem – 700,000 plastic bottles are littered every day in the UK. One commercial response is to sell water…
Burns Night 2022: the traditional menu and how Scottish food favourite haggis could have English roots
The poet also wrote songs and is said to have been able to play the stock-and-horn, the violin and the guitar. However Burns was much more interested in women and soon…
The best air fryers for healthier home cooking
If you’re at all tempted by the prospect of crispy chips and sizzling fried chicken with a fraction of the oil of conventional cooking, you may have…
16 easy ways to make Blue Monday better
If you don’t own a hound, offer to take someone else’s. Fresh air for you. Tail-wags and lolling tongue for your furry friend. Everyone’s a winner. Pro…
The reality of going to the gym in midlife
It’s what inspired a mother-and-son duo from Leicester to set up the Wigston branch of Gymophobics, a non-intimidating (and mirror-free) fitness club for women of all ages….
What not to do if you’re addicted to your phone
If you’ve already broken your New Year’s resolution to spend less time glued to your phone screen, you’re far from alone. We’ve become a society of addicts,…
How I knew my pandemic drinking was becoming a problem
Sitting on my sofa watching television, with the children in bed and my husband away for work, it wasn’t the uninterrupted screen time I enjoyed most but…
How to eat your way to a better night’s sleep in 2022
The Mediterranean diet The health benefits have been widely researched, and a Mediterranean diet has been shown to help in all areas of health. Essentially, it involves…
My husband has found God in a big way – and lost his sense of fun
My husband’s sense of fun appealed to me from the moment I met him, and it made him a great teacher. He’s the head of music at…
Three easy ways to stick to Dry in January in 2022
Congratulations to everyone committing to Dry January this year – kickstarting 2022 teetotal and in a fresh state. But despite the first month of the year often…
Beware the silent Cabinet minister
One of the hazards of writing a fortnightly political column is that the political scene can change a great deal in such a short period. Two weeks…
The moonshot of eliminating cervical cancer is within reach
A little more than a year after the World Health Organization led a push to eliminate a cancer for the first time in human history, the increased…
MI5’s intervention on China marks a watershed moment
An MI5 warning that a Chinese Communist Party agent has been operating in Westminster sent ripples of alarm across the country. But it is also notable for…
Of course the British military should be helping to protect our coastline
The Government’s proposal to extend military support to protect the UK coastline should be welcomed, not just by the Home Office but also across the country. One…
Bored Harry is trying to tell us he wants to come home – I bet we’ll welcome him with open arms
Are there any toys left in Prince Harry’s pram? Seems to me they’ve all been thrown out. And the timing of the latest to have been hurled…
Self-righteous Starmer is stuck in a trap of his own making
Wherever you live in Britain, the Covid restrictions that have blighted our lives over the last two years have not been as straightforward as our political leaders…
Vladimir Putin will be all too happy to exploit the West’s dangerous distraction
Trying to work out Vladimir Putin’s intentions in Ukraine has now become the critical task of western diplomacy, and one made harder by the distractions faced by…
Joining the Trans-Pacific free trade pact is an economic and geopolitical no-brainer for the UK
Outside of the EU, the UK has the opportunity for the first time in almost 40 years to negotiate its own trade deals. The speed at which…
Carrie Johnson doesn’t deserve this criticism
From the first minute of her relationship with Boris Johnson being made public, the Prime Minister’s wife Carrie has faced a disproportionate – and, I would argue,…
Britain’s failed establishment will never apologise for the catastrophe of lockdown
The PM has apologised after being accused of breaking lockdown rules. Fine. But will anyone apologise for setting them? Some were clearly impossible or unnecessary, or why…
The best body oils every woman over 40 should use for dry skin in 2022
Body oils are often considered an understated beauty hero and my dried-out skin is in full agreement. While it’s mainly a matter of preference, I find oil…
The best beauty products to use for mature skin in 2022
The grown-up approach to beauty includes knowing where to splurge and where to save. So while it is good to nose around the beauty regimes of the…
The message from Milan? It’s time to forget the loungewear and get back to business
Before the world descended into our alternative Covid reality, Miuccia Prada announced that she would work alongside former Dior designer Raf Simons in a seismic Union of…
Data reveals the beauty sector has grown by 1.1 percent compared to pre-pandemic
“It has been an extremely challenging time for our sector – salons were closed for more than 200 days of lockdown. Many have sadly not been able…