Small City Life, St Albans

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 Gates tells us that climate scientists have confirmed that we are already in a state of [...]

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 to have quite a few chats about which books friends and family were reading. Nowadays [...]

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 pleasure to explore, but to walk up hilly slopes and into a wild woodland breathing in clean country air is especially [...]

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 musical spectaculars, no pink sunsets glistening on the calm seas, no hour-long full body massages or dance lessons. [...]

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 society as a whole has been a strange experience. Deciding how to pitch my column during lockdown has been a challenge [...]

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, chilli cheese and chilli vodka. Of course this Christmas will be different for us all, but at least we can cherish happy memories from [...]

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? Nothing could ever compare to feeling part of that inherent seasonal dynamism, that sense of the ‘now’ [...]

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 dirt doesn’t get any worse." These days I can see the importance and satisfaction of having a [...]

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 quality paperbacks. Down on the ground floor there were countless more books of all shapes and sizes. The question I had [...]

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 forgotten in pre-Covid times. As I wrote this piece, I felt an inner contentment and re-lived many wonderful ‘showtime’ experiences. It felt great [...]

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 recipes mixing fresh and canned food together. March 2020 saw overall sales of canned food climb to over 70% and we are now [...]

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 between the rows of such contrasting varieties had a dreamlike quality to it. The celebration garden was just as breath-taking with [...]

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 need washing. We didn’t go far, but going to a beach I’d never been to before, visiting [...]

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 really my thing. I was just dabbling in it here and there, then discovered that I now quite [...]

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 nearest luxury hotel for a night to get over a miserable soggy weekend on a campsite. [...]

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 always the pinkest and their vegetable patches are always bulging with goodness! Growing up in a city has its advantages but [...]

We’ve all had a chance to pause and reboot over the last couple of months and have become aware of our inner feelings and certain aspects of our outer lives. Personally, I have reached a stage where I want to change my personal image or at least mix it up a bit. This has been [...]

Although the lockdown has led to an increasing sense of introspection, I am missing those rejuvenating feelings that only those magical little shopping trips can provide. After reading online about the female evolutionary need to gather, I don’t feel like a shallow shopaholic. Meandering around Oasis, Neon Sheep and Neal’s yard is always a pleasure [...]

Over the past ten years or so I remember being aware that people were talking a lot about environmental pollution and the destruction of nature and animal habitats in relation to capitalism. I distinctly remember making a mental note that nobody was really engaging with issues around how humans were going to be affected in [...]

We were up in our loft one recent afternoon. I rediscovered a set of wonderful coffee-top table books. I felt overjoyed, enthusiastic and excited about dipping into them again. Meanwhile, my daughter was marvelling at her old dolls and Pokemon cards and my husband was sitting there amused after discovering the pink RAZR V3 phone [...]

I considered pausing my column in light of what has happened. It then occurred to me that these podcasts might give some amusement, comfort or distraction to listeners. I feel honoured to be able to share my daily life via these podcasts. We are without a doubt all in this together.

I must admit that as a schoolgirl I would rather have had a tooth pulled out than have to endure a double Chemistry lesson on those Wednesday mornings, However, that was a long time ago. Now that I’m a little older, I like to learn about new things that take me out of my comfort [...]

Tango has always been my favourite dance. I experienced (and very much enjoyed) my first one-to-one Tango class last Summer while on holiday. I had to really concentrate and do as I was told, but towards the end of the lesson, I was able to dance around the ballroom with my partner performing a few [...]

I must admit that it was my older brother and sister that made me a bit ‘cool’ as I was growing up, softening my geeky tendencies with their love of fashion and vintage clothing. I’d often find myself in Kensington Indoor Market throughout the eighties surrounded by Punks and New Romantics. It was no place [...]

After graduating with a degree in Literature, bookselling seemed the obvious career choice given my passion for books and I got a job in Cecil Court selling antiquarian books. I spent many afternoons flicking through books like first edition Beatrix Potters and Alice in Wonderlands worth thousands! I just love being around books and now [...]

The word Veganuary (trying a Vegan lifestyle throughout January) is now commonplace and more and more people are cutting down on meat and becoming vegans these days. I thoroughly enjoyed the festival and learned so much. I was glad I went with a particular friend who already knows a thing or two about being a [...]

When I arrived at Waddesdon Manor I almost felt as if I’d been transported to France! The architecture is distinctly European. Inside it is breathtakingly opulent and reminiscent of Versailles in places. We’re so lucky to have a place like this to explore! The Rothschild family were and still are such enthusiastic collectors and how [...]

I love to meander in a forest like Heartwood, to stop and stare, to escape, partly because I never really had the opportunity to do so in my younger days. City parks were more a brief respite in my lunch hour from London’s busy streets where I could just “be” within a natural space. I [...]

I think so many people have fond memories of playing board games as a child. This exhibition was chronologically and clearly presented. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Some of those early board games made me feel hugely nostalgic and it was wonderful to see how excited my husband became when he spotted the ZX Spectrum. I [...]

I like to think that I have been exposed to many people and places growing up in London, but this was truly extraordinary. I’d simply never seen anything like it! I’ll never forget all of these grand musical instruments from huge fairground organs to delicate Swiss music boxes hidden away in a warehouse on a [...]

I’d never come across a church like this before. It was inspiring and had a truly aesthetic ambience. Despite its small scale it celebrated the Arts and Crafts movement perfectly. The swirling colours within the stained glass were beautifully complex and interacted well with the rich mosaics shimmering in the evening light. Even though it [...]

Having been a student of literature, visiting this National Trust property was a very special experience. Shaw retreated here in his later years and his rotating writer’s hut just amazed me. I imagined him sitting there ‘in the zone’ writing and typing up all of those plays and essays in such a small Spartan space. [...]

I was amazed by how popular this column was with my readers. It seems that people from all walks of life love to go bowling! I enjoyed sharing how a simple and relaxing evening, how an innocent and simple pastime can really bring a couple together without the pressure of trying to impress and spending [...]

I love to learn new things and even though we all feel strongly about environmental issues, we don’t actually know the ins and outs of the subject. So I saw this talk as an opportunity to learn more about carbon emissions and farming in relation to climate change. Walking around the forest with a group [...]