15 best books for Christmas 2020
One of the positive aspects of this annus horriblis is the fact that we’ve all been reading more. Books helped us to get through the year.
Books, films, exhibitions
Artist Chila Kumari Burman is lighting up London
Talk about coincidence. I was a guest on Woman’s Hour last week (promise not to mention it many more times), and while I waited for my section I listened to Chila Kumari Burman talking about her...
When Poetry Meets Fast Fashion
If anyone took the time to closely examine fast fashion, how it’s made and what it involves, it could really take the fun out of shopping. Contrary to popular opinion, cheap thrills come at a price ...
Connecting with culture again: Artemisia at The National Gallery, London
Before suffragettes, before girl power and way before #MeToo, there was Artemisia, a woman who triumphed over tyranny and achieved global fame in the male-dominated world of Baroque art. The Na...
That’s Not My Age Podcast: Journalist and author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
In the latest That’s Not My Age podcast I chat to the award-winning journalist and author Yasmin Alibhai-Brown about her esteemed career. The first regular columnist of colour on a national n...
Enola Holmes and other good stuff to get you through Covid Winter
As we stumble into Covid Winter, it’s good to have a plan. So, I’ve been thinking about what got me through lockdown earlier this year: Yoga With Adriene (still doing it), mastering the ar...
The Year of Gardening Vicariously
This spring, the global pandemic prompted record numbers of people to plant for the first time. Whether it was the fear of global food shortages or to stave off lockdown boredom, most we...
In praise of Ann Patchett
I have no idea why it’s taken me so long to pick up an Ann Patchett book. After reading her latest novel The Dutch House in lockdown, I’m now bingeing on Patchett’s back catalogue (t...
The Cutting Edge Kimono Exhibition
Now some museums and galleries are open again, it’s time to tentatively venture forth on public transport. Masked-up and hand-washed within an inch of sanity.
The Joy of Growing Young
Last week, my cousin and I were musing about how this ‘time-out’ has increased our desire to create a more humble, relaxed life by the sea – perhaps in one of the Blue Zones. These are ha...
Expert decluttering tips that will transform your home
‘It’s increasingly clear to me that to maintain a sense of wellbeing and calm in today’s world we need to take decisive steps to cut out the overwhelm, whether from our phones, email...
Can our home make us happier?
Those of us who are fortunate enough to be safe and well and staying at home have had a lot of time to survey our work-life surroundings. Cleaning, clearing and de-cluttering cupboards and drawers, in...
