I wrote a novel, years ago, when I was doing my Master’s Degree, and I thought that it was about time I finished it off. Because what sort of madman writes a novel and then does nothing with it? We’re talking over 160,000 words here; admittedly it’s not War and Peace, but it did take a bloody…
I had to go for an MRI scan this week – nothing serious, hopefully, just a pain in my hand I’ve had for a while. A small fracture according to one person, but could be something else entirely according to another. I’ll find out next week. So I was booked in to have my scan, and…
I’ve gone blonder for the summer, thanks to Nicola Clarke at John Frieda* who took me at my word when I flippantly said “I want to be loads blonder!” I had almost forgotten I’d even said it when the towel came off for my blow-dry and I saw my new, bright blonde locks. I feel so much…
Here it is, better late than never: a video of my pets. Dexter and the Bear. It should be Mr Bear, really, but that doesn’t have quite the same ring to it! What a rigmarole it was, trying to get them both behave for the camera – when the dog wasn’t licking the cat, the cat was…
After last week’s Sleeplessness post I tried to make some serious changes to my bedtime routine. Thank you, by the way, for all of your amazing comments – I was really rather touched that so many of you took the time to share your experiences and give advice. And as last week’s post was so well-read, I…
I seem to have developed an (admittedly rather mild) case of insomnia. In fact, I don’t want to annoy people who do have insomnia, so perhaps I’ll simply call it “a bit of sleeplessness”. It’s not serious, but definitely annoying enough to be the topic for this week’s Sunday Tittle Tattle! I’ve always been rather proud of…
I had the privilege of attending an evening reception at 10 Downing Street this week. It was held by Samantha Cameron for the Mariposa Trust, a charity that helps parents and families who have lost a baby, whether through miscarriage, stillbirth or death in early infancy. There are four parts to the charity, the main…
Two very long videos for you, perfect viewing for a lazy Sunday afternoon. I feel honoured to be part of Sali Hughes’ In The Bathroom series, where she pokes about in people’s cupboards and drawers and manages to conduct rather in-depth interviews all at the same time… If you ever wanted a “crash course in Crilly” then…
I was well and truly pranked this April Fools’ Day, and by a completely unexpected source. The monthly Parish News magazine that gets delivered through my letterbox. Now this little village newsletter has such a kind and friendly tone that you would never in a million years expect it to try and trick you – one whole page of it,…
I’m on holiday. Last week we went to Cornwall for four nights and stayed in a lovely house in Polzeath with Perfect Stays (post coming up) and then by the time we got back (to a broken boiler and a freezing cold house) it was the double-bank-holiday and so I decided to just stay off. When…
I have a new series of beauty videos running at The Telegraph; the Beauty Basics. They take some of the makeup tasks we tend to take for granted – applying mascara, grooming brows – and very simply describe how to do them. Great if you’re totally new to beauty and always at a loss as to how…
This rather funky gift card from Mr & Mrs Smith came through my letterbox the other week – a “dummy” version, sadly, but it did whet my appetite for a spot of overseas travel. I’ve been a member of the Mr & Mrs Smith hotel website for years now – I book nearly all of my…
Today is my first ever mother’s day. I really hope that the baby has organised something special, what with all of the free time she has! Ha. Joking aside, I can’t actually believe that it’s mother’s day and I’m a mum. I used to sit and daydream about what it would feel like and whether it…
Mr Bear giving me the evil eye. He doesn’t like to be photographed during his private moments (when he’s drinking water from the tap, eating whole prawns, on the toilet – not that I would want to take a picture of him in his toilet, though he does sometimes look very funny and human with…
You may have gathered, from seeing the odd flash of house in the backgrounds of my videos and photographs, that my taste in interiors is – what would be traditionally considered to be – rather masculine. I tend to favour warm woods and clean lines and darker colours over anything that could be considered pretty. Rosewood, leather,…
I have a new vlog for you to watch – it’s quite random, but I’ve included some gratuitous pet and baby footage to sweeten the pill. I went to get my ears re-pierced but things didn’t quite work out the way I thought they would… Talking of gratuitous pet footage; I have been trying to…
You may have noticed that there wasn’t a post yesterday. If you didn’t notice then – quite frankly – I know that you don’t love me as much as you say you do. Ha. I have decided that from now on, unless I suddenly manage to find a pocket of free time that has hitherto…
Oh man, I honestly thought I’d never feel normal every again after my two-and-a-bit weeks of cold/cough/throat/chest things. I started to get a bit depressed, lying in bed all day, and even my marathon reading sessions didn’t really cheer me up. (On that note: I have so many new book recommendations for you. I’m going…