A Disorderly Retirement
I really dislike being referred to as a consumer. Yes I do consume things, but it isn’t my whole being. I walk, talk, breathe, sing (quite badly) and many other things besides. But my main function in life is not to spend money and buy things, so I am staging a rebellion. Christmas in particular…
January can be a very bleak month when you live in the northern hemisphere. The days are short and often grey. The wind blows, the snow flies, the rain drenches, the ice lies in wait. If you’re a fan of winter sports and live in a snowy country, January can be wonderful, but for the…
I am very attached to Spotify, even though I know I shouldn’t be. I’m not sure if it’s because of Spotify that so many musicians are struggling to earn a living, or if it’s the music companies that are failing to distribute the royalties they receive. Perhaps both. Still, if you’ve got rid of all…
Our newspaper has recently been devoting a lot of space to the subject of advent calendars. Whenever I talk about reading the paper I always feel like I’m a throwback from another era, like my Nanna when she used to sing Victorian Music Hall songs to me. Still, I do love to read an actual…
How far should we go in our quest for perfection? When do we need to simply call time and decide that enough is good enough? I’m thinking about all this because we’ve recently had a new kitchen fitted. To be honest, we’re still feeling giddy with excitement at having a working kitchen sink and tap….
Or maybe the question should be: How many books should you read at once? I always used to have at least three books on the go and I’d flip back and forth, depending on my mood. If you’re struggling with War and Peace, then reading a few pages of P.G. Wodehouse will refresh you, ready…
Last week I was considering whether we could – or should – admit defeat and stop trying to keep up with our constantly changing world, but this week I’m starting to wonder instead if I might just be a millennial in disguise. I’m always open to new possibilities, although this certainly wouldn’t have occurred to…
Despite all the pressure to stay up to date, to download TikTok, to embrace a brat summer, to monitor your blood sugar, to eat tubs of sauerkraut and to pay vast amounts for Oasis tickets, it’s perfectly fine if you just decide not to. In fact, it can be very satisfying to think of yourself…
I’m a bit sniffy about the current trend for self-care. It’s the ‘self’ part that bothers me, because I associate it with being self-absorbed, self-centred and self-indulgent, none of which leads anywhere good. However, I have realised that this past week I have been indulging in exactly that. To start with, I’ve imposed a news…
I’m always interested in how people spend their free time. I’m not talking about the people with young children or those with caring responsibilities – I think they probably just collapse in an exhausted heap whenever they get the chance – I’m wondering about everyone else. Even people who say they haven’t got a minute…