Bill Gates’ new book, How To Avoid A Climate Disaster is not an easy read. If you read for pleasure or for escapism, I suggest you do not add this sobering book to your pile of bedtime reading. Bill G…

It appears that times are changing and most of us are more likely to be glued to our screens than engrossed in a book. I’ve been as guilty of this as anyone during lockdown!  Not so long ago, I used t…

There’s nothing better when you live in a city than taking a walk into a vast spacious landscape. London parks are cultivated by expert gardeners and of course, the manicured gardens are such a pleasu…

Around this time of the year, we start to wonder about our Summer holidays. The last few years we’ve been on a cruise or two. We’re really missing it. Last year there were no exotic cocktails or music…

Although we are now immersed in yet another lockdown, I think we all feel quite relieved that 2021 has finally dawned. Looking back on the year 2020 and the extraordinary things that happened within s…

Phew! I managed to catch St Albans Farmers’ Market just before another lockdown was announced. I discovered three delicious foods which will become regular additions to my pantry – chestnut honey, chi…

They say that a good walk in nature can cure many ills. How is it that such a simple act can clear the brain, seriously lower stress levels and induce a feeling of enhanced well-being within us all? N…

I was never one for housework. I find is so time consuming and not hugely rewarding. I love that famous Quentin Crisp quote: “There’s no need to do any housework at all. After the first four years the…

I enjoy reading many different genres and being at 66 Book Club in Hemel Hempstead was like going to ‘Book Heaven’. Upstairs, every single shelf within aisle upon aisle was piled high with pristine qu…

Lockdown has certainly reminded us about the importance of our individual freedom, and that our happy memories are made up of personal life experiences, not possessions. Something that I guess we had…

I found it hard to believe that a “Love Canned Food Festival” was taking place on Instagram last month over a four-day period. I enjoyed scrolling through countless colourful photos of luscious recipe…

I was amazed by this garden and got totally lost in its horticultural richness. Row upon row of Dahlias were thriving in all their glory. They had been so carefully cultivated by experts. Walking betw…

I wouldn’t regard camping as a holiday. It is more of a change of scenery really. It’s wonderful to get out of the house and forget about the carpet that needs hoovering and the mound of clothes that…

I mentioned that I was gardening in late March on my Facebook page and received a few messages that made me smile like “Blimey Marisa you must be bored!” or “Are you okay Marisa?” Gardening was never…

I wrote this while feeling sorry for myself and in dire need of a sun-kissed Mediterranean holiday. Camping is not really my cup of tea and I have been known to pack up in anger and book into the near…

I must admit I do envy people with green fingers whose mysterious abilities make everything grow in such abundance! How do they do it?! Their hydrangeas are always rich and sturdy, their camellias are…