Welcome to House With No Name. I write about everything from books and films to education, family and France.
The New Year has arrived with 85 mph winds lashing the country, driving rain and a clutch of ultra-depressing surveys. Why are we so addicted to surveys? The papers are full of them – and the crazier they sound the more column inches they get. Today’s batch is as eclectic as ever. So far I’ve clocked that only one in three of us bother with breakfast these days and more ...keep reading
It’s amazing to think that the Queen is celebrating 60 years on the throne. The year’s celebrations will range from a Diamond Jubilee Pageant in the grounds of Windsor Castle in May to a magnificent flotilla of 1,000 boats sailing along the River Thames in June. But I reckon one of the most imaginative and creative tributes of all is Face Britain. An initiative launched by the Prince’s Foundation for ...keep reading
Christmas is well and truly over in our house. The tree’s on its way out, we’ve posted our thank-you letters and there’s only one sorry-looking Christmas clementine left. So it’s on with the New Year and as usual I’ve gone and made my annual resolution – a resolution no one believes I’m capable of keeping and which I’m regretting like mad already. Yes, I’m giving up alcohol for January. My ...keep reading
Forget wild parties and tuneless renditions of Auld Lang Syne at three a.m. My idea of the perfect New Year’s Eve is strolling round the corner to share a glass or two of ice-cold champagne with friends and being home by one in the morning. Not surprisingly, my 20 year old daughter isn’t at all impressed by plans like these, so she’s decamping to London. And even though my 17 ...keep reading
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a trip to the theatre. My mum always took us to the panto in Bournemouth and I’ve carried on the tradition with my two children. Over the years we’ve seen everything from the RSC’s The Secret Garden (fantastic) to Matthew Kelly in Peter Pan (not so fantastic.) I first took my daughter to a show when she was two. We were living in a remote, ...keep reading
Two soundtracks dominated our Cumbrian Christmas. The first was a stunning compilation of tracks my son thought I’d like (including several by Lulu and the Lampshades – how could you not love a band with a name like that?) The second was a DVD of Adele live in concert at the Royal Albert Hall. My father gave it to me and it played in a loop for four days on ...keep reading
As we ground to a halt on the motorway for the umpteenth time I began to wonder whether our Christmas trip to the Lake District was worth it. The journey should take four hours but in 20 years of visiting the place we’ve never managed it in less than six. We usually arrive in a filthy temper at midnight and swear we’ll never do it again. This was the first ...keep reading
The tree is up (at an unintentionally jaunty angle), the Sainsbury’s shop is done and the Military Wives Christmas song is playing full-blast. There’s sure to be something I’ve forgotten to do but by Christmas Eve it’s too late to worry about anything – so at this stage all I can do is to thank you for reading House With No Name in 2011 and wish everyone a very happy ...keep reading
With two days to go till Christmas Day I’m still rushing around buying food, looking for stuffing recipes and trying to remember where I hid half the presents. So if you’re like me and need a few last-minute Christmas treats, I’ve come up with four great books that might just do the trick. For thriller fans Fans of legal thriller supremo John Grisham will love The Litigators (Hodder & Stoughton, ...keep reading
A new report says it’s far better to make decisions on gut instinct than dawdle too much and agonise over what to do. The research, reported in the Daily Telegraph, issues stark warnings claiming that people who think too much before coming to a decision risk damaging their love lives, careers and even their health. It’s not the most festive message of the week, I know, but there’s definitely something ...keep reading