My 17-year-old grandson is in the process of exploring where he wants to go to university. As usual, there are ‘good’ places and ‘better’ places, and he is pondering where he is likely to be accepted and the general implications of any decision…

It was probably 1947 – a very long time ago in any case. It was my first day in first grade – and my class had ceremoniously paraded from the room for the kindergarten to the first-grade room to mark the moment. We were all asked to sit in a circle…

Years ago, I coined the term ‘cheap luxury’ in my household, but I think it is a good time to spread it around. See if you think it has meaning for you. The term first arose, if I am not mistaken, over a jar of mustard. We were in a supermarket…

It all began with the opening of an Indian luxury hotel in early 2017 in inner London, near Tower Bridge. This was situated in the former premises of a boys’ grammar (secondary) school, which my husband had happened to attend in the mid-1950s…

Death and dying do not make for a jolly subject of any conversation, but it is part of life. And none of us is getting any younger. Is death or dying something you think about very much? You may prefer to think it will never happen…

I am captivated by dreams and what they tell us. But I am not an expert. Just someone who has tried to interpret my own dreams – and occasionally those of my family, when asked. Do you dream a lot? It can be very interesting to try to make sense of dreams…

I am on the phone to a major department store in London from which we have just bought a new television (current one bought in 2006, so it was well time). We think we may need an additional part, but we’re a bit unclear, so I try the telephone…

I made some soup earlier today and, in order to serve it, I reached for my ladle. It is absolutely not a classy ladle – it has a red plastic handle. It probably came from Woolworth’s or the equivalent. But I suddenly had a memory of how and when I got it…

There is some part of human nature that encourages people to make amends. We all make mistakes – however much we don’t like that fact – and it makes us feel better if we can put them right. Particularly sizeable ones…

I have never been particularly excited by the idea of Artificial Intelligence (AI). It seemed something remote to my everyday life, although I have undoubtedly been exposed to numerous examples without my ever knowing it…