Monthly Archives: June 2011

what householders need to know about hip pain and the art of negative thinking

Posted on June 30, 2011 by

You know you’re not a negative thinker. You’re a  glass half full person, seeing  possibilities not dead ends,  hope not despair, solutions not problems. Then  I said  to the physiotherapist, ‘They reckoned when I was 11 I’d be riddled with … Continue reading →

Posted in Keeping fit, staying well, Looking after yourself | Leave a comment

how to recapture the smell of perfect coffee that has haunted me since Uncle Snowy came for scones

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

My mother once made the perfect cup of coffee.  I remember the smell as clearly as I would a madeleine  and my name  was Proust.  I remember the morning she made it. I was about eight. Uncle Snowy was coming … Continue reading →

Posted in Feeding the household, What to do about cooking | 2 Comments

what to do about staying warm if you don’t have central heating

Posted on June 28, 2011 by

Although I’ve spent more winters in  the UK, I’ve never been as cold there as I have been in Australia.   When I was growing up,  some winter mornings were so bitter  you couldn’t hold a toothbrush.  My parents, like many … Continue reading →

Posted in Household maintenance, Looking after yourself, The happy household | Leave a comment

how to avoid yelling at your partner in the supermarket

Posted on June 27, 2011 by

There are clear strategies. First, have a partner who doesn’t need yelling at in the supermarket; second, don’t go to the supermarket with any partner who does need yelling at; third,  control your impulse to  yell  by being amused or … Continue reading →

Posted in Feeding the household, What to do about everyone | Leave a comment

what to do about household dust if anything

Posted on June 22, 2011 by

Hello to everyone who  has reached the blog via Life Matters, and welcome to a further discussion on dust. The question that arises from the online chat is how much we should care about it. And,  Sophie in particular, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cleaning, Household chores | Leave a comment

what to do about compost when you don’t have a garden

Posted on June 21, 2011 by

As previously reported, I made myself sick with bacon,  bone and barley soup.  It doesn’t sound appetising and it isn’t, not because of the taste but because of the texture which is somewhere between lumpy slime and post nasal drip.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Household chores | Leave a comment

what to do about sheryl crow, cancer and plastic

Posted on June 20, 2011 by

It’s a couple of years since I first received the ‘Sheryl Crow got cancer from drinking water out of a plastic bottle she left in her car’ email.   It was forwarded to me again yesterday which  means a few trillion … Continue reading →

Posted in Looking after yourself | Leave a comment

changing the sheets for guests if you’re a perfect host

Posted on June 13, 2011 by

Years ago I  interviewed three couples who had people to stay  most weekends about how to be a perfect host. Two of the couples were friends of ours, a mistake from a journalistic point of view.  One man lied. Among … Continue reading →

Posted in Household chores, Laundry | 4 Comments

Paying someone to clean your house isn’t just an indulgence

Posted on June 10, 2011 by

You could argue it’s a modest one like pudding or a glass of wine in as much as you don’t really need it but it’s lovely to have, except that  there’s not much in it for the wine or  the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cleaning, Household chores | 1 Comment

cleaning your house with a toothbrush

Posted on June 9, 2011 by

Our cleaner, Betty,  is about to retire. This is a tragedy for us but brilliant for her and, because I’m so fond of her, I can be happier for her than I’m sad for myself. But in  a flurry of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cleaning, Household chores | 1 Comment