I remember a long time ago. I was living in Istanbul at the time, asking my friend, the fabulous Robert, whether I looked any slimmer after losing a few kilos in weight. It only takes Robert a fleeting look to catch: what you are wearing, the source of each item and tuck away mental notes…

Writers on the subject of friendship say that there are three types of friends: reason, season and 4am friends, and those friendships are critical to both our mental and physical wellbeing. Friendship is another thing that you can ponder, when you have a breathing space from: work strategies, constant meetings and the email overload. They…

For as long as I can remember I have loved trees. So much so that, like many dendrophiles – lovers of trees – I find the thought of cutting any trees down tantamount to murder. I witness many a murder in the area I live in. Here there is an incessant desire for laying ugly…

Why is it that all pleasurable pursuits turn out to be bad for you? Or is this only my experience? I do something once, it gives me a tingling buzz and I want to do again. Then, in a few instances, and if time allows, it can become obsessive. I am sure that I am…

Language – although so difficult for me – is a fascinating subject. Like so many things it organically evolves and develops from seemingly nowhere. Amazingly, 690 new words were added to the Merriam Webster Dictionary in 2023 but with most likely 680 of these being added from the IT world, I have no plans to…

At a dinner party recently I heard the motto, ‘ Be interested, Be interesting’. I liked this, but felt it needs to be extended to, ‘ Be interested. Be interested in others. Be interesting’. This will be my mantra for 2024. This will replace my usual New Year’s resolutions of : getting fit, reading more,…

In 2023 the world was in turmoil, but what good news was there? Think of the joy of the 135 million births in 2023. Of the fun and laughter during the (estimated) 2.2 million marriages. Then 8 billion of us had a birthday celebration. Memories of our : great holiday’s, new jobs, promotions at work,…

I don’t know about you, but I have always suffered from recurring nightmares. I can’t say why these happen, but they often show themselves at times of stress. Just as I think I am about to mess up that important business deal, a fierce, teeth baring lion jumps on me in the middle of the…

‘Change’ dominated my thoughts this week. Not, how to change my lifestyle, my work or my hairstyle, but how we can change the big social issues of the day. Such important social issues that need rocket propelled change. How will we do this? Two events this week, ‘set me off’. Firstly, the Resolution Foundation Report…

It’s no secret that I would like to pursue a career in Anthropology. This raises two questions in people’s minds ; ” what the hell is it?”, and for those that can get past the first question,” what work could she possibly do in this field?”. If I said, answering the second question, ” Shopping!…