Another day, another survey – only this time round I reckon that researchers have got it just about right. A new study by estate agents Hamptons International declares that if you want to combine affordable living with high levels of happiness then Allerdale in Cumbria, which covers the area around Keswick, is the place to go. Close behind in the happiness and affordability stakes is the Ribble Valley in Lancashire – ...keep reading
I’m sure it isn’t normal to be sitting at my desk in coat, scarf and my favourite Brora fingerless gloves. But with Arctic-like temperatures and the windows of our Victorian house rattling alarmingly, it’s the only way to keep warm. The ancient radiators come on at four pm but they are fighting a losing battle. To put it bluntly they don’t heat the place up at all. Up until now ...keep reading
Liz Jones sparks more controversy than any other journalist I can think of. She’s infuriated virtually the whole of Exmoor with her excoriating columns about the unfriendliness and the cold and shops closing on Saturday afternoons and she hit the headlines again last week with a piece about the bloggers she met at the recent Mumsnet Blogfest. Just to give you a flavour, she wrote about being in “a tangled ...keep reading
Jess Barker trudged purposefully up the footpath. It was seven-thirty on a chilly April morning and the new summer term was due to start in less than an hour. But before the frantic onslaught of lessons, meetings and marking, she needed time to think. At least it was Thursday, so she had 7B, her favourite class, first lesson. Unlike some of the older children, the eleven and twelve year olds ...keep reading