“The man to whom little is not enough will not benefit from more.” Saint Columbanus. A Saint Patrick’s Day message from the other one. A dozen-and-one wise words on our insatiable appetite for more. When I was a child, or even a young adult, or even a middle-aged woman, I used to marvel at the … Continue reading More
Changing rooms are a place of crisis. I dare you to disagree. When was the last time you felt elated standing alone in the confines of a changing room? A dress-finding mission can, too quickly, become a fault-finding mission, a mission in self-denigration. To start with, there is the trauma of the bare self standing … Continue reading The Art of Changing
There are seventeen different types of tomato ketchup to choose from in Waitrose. Ketchup is one of the few things I don’t eat, yet here I am hypothetically asking myself which I would buy if I were here to buy it. Dr. Wills is the most expensive by far. An attractive label – exclamation mark fashioned from … Continue reading Ketchup
Sheer, opaque, 10 denier, ribbed, woolly, black, tan, fishnet, and every colour of the rainbow; I like a nice pair of tights and I have scores of them, all tangled in a bag at the back of my wardrobe like eels in a bucket. Nor do I shy away from a patterned tight. I recently … Continue reading Legs Eleven
‘Men grow cold as girls grow old, And we all lose our charms in the end, But square cut or pear shape these rocks don't lose their shape, Diamonds are a girl's best friend,’ Am I shallow? Of course I am, because I know Marilyn was right: every girl, including me, does love a diamond (or … Continue reading Aspirational Bed Linen
“I just saw Donald Glover on the Royal Mile; he’s doing on open-air improv show.” I told them this when I met them in George Square. They responded by speaking at the same time; S. with, “Who’s Donald Glover?” and E. with, “Let’s go see him now.” It wasn’t Donald Glover, but it could have been. Nothing would … Continue reading Festival Frenzy
Buy, buy, buy…. creeping consumerism, voracious vending, whacked wallet. I think I’ve written about it before: all of those beautiful things we don't need. Well, this time I’m determined to put my money where my mouth is by putting my purse away when it comes to all of that ‘stuff’ for myself that I just … Continue reading It Will Consume You
Every time I go to the airport and I get as far as security I invariably pick the wrong queue and join the slowest river of moving people. Sometimes there is a man or woman to sift, sort and tell you which little rivulet you may run off into, but often you must choose for … Continue reading Queue
Cheeses: I’ve been researching all of the different types, in other words, I’ve been tasting them. You see, I’m off the hook for cooking dinner on Christmas Day and I’m in charge of the cheeseboard. I’m happy with my task. I reckoned it would be an easy job: one blue, one hard, one soft - … Continue reading Vacherin
It is Christmas and we will buy gifts, wrap them, give and receive and be generous. It is altogether a good thing. Sharing what we have, marking our appreciation of others, acknowledging their support throughout the year; this is one of the better Christmas traditions. If you possess the means and the time, then it … Continue reading Beauty
My Edinburgh Press 