Nostalgia

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…

One of the iconic images that defined our youth was that of Jane Fonda in a post-apocalyptic metal and mesh green mini dress in the film Barbarella. That dress, and all of her costumes for that film, were designed by the eclectic, ground-breaking designer…

Although the original thought is “Youth is wasted on the young,” in my case, this was certainly true for education. I went to an all-girls private boarding school in rural Sussex in England, which even then – back in the late 50s/early 60s – was old-fashioned…

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’s a lot to love about being in your 60s. And, if you are 60, you may remember the 1960s. That may depend on how many mind-altering experiences you had in the 1960s, however. These two “60s” have a great deal in common…

A charming married man in his early 40s, a father of three, has a two-year affair with his young secretary. So, what’s new? It happens every day. Indeed, it is an old, old story. What is new is that it was my father. I was in my early teens at the time…

Jewellery, in all its forms tells the story of our life. Whether we choose a necklace or a bracelet, they all tell people more about who we are, and they remind us of places and people, events and special things…

Some years ago, at the age of 61, I quit my job, rented out my flat and flew to Australia to research my family history. It was not an easy business. In the days before Airbnb and other similar organisations made letting so much more flexible…

We are all worrying about prices and the cost of energy, aren’t we? We wonder how we will cope this winter. I feel for young families in 2022. But it has made me think what life was like. I grew up in the 1950s when…

I am sure you recall hearing kids groaning ‘oh, not that story again.’ It might have been in a private setting or embarrassingly public, but the sagging shoulders and bored faces are the same. You might even have been one of those…