Our Editor Stuart asked me this week if I had any tips on how to be smart with our finances, he said “I’m not talking about shopping in charity shops, and I know you’re not Martin Lewis just other bright ideas you might have?” 

How can I be in the media business have contributed to many, but as a listener, been late to the Podcast Explosion? Well I am and I know why. I was totally overwhelmed with the amount out there, I saw them as another confusing choice I had to make and frankly everywhere we look these days there are multiple choices of everything from bread to shampoos, health supplements and now podcasts

Well the older I’ve become the more I’m convinced time has strapped itself to a supersonic jet. I honestly was telling a friend the other day Mark and I had been together for three years when in actual fact it’s four this July, and was it only Summer 2021 when I was going through the final drafts of my book ‘How To Age Well The Secrets’ while sitting in a hotel room in Santorini?

I’ve joined a Gym; Not a fancy pants gym, no coffee bar, sofa, TV, swimming pool, sauna or social activities it’s just an inexpensive weights gym with one studio for classes.

After one of the best BAFTA’s on record with Alison Hammond smashing it in her presenting role both on stage and back stage chatting to stars together with Richard E Grant next come The Oscars.

It’s February or ‘Dead Feb’ as it’s known in our house, nothing really happens, no trips, no sunshine no leaves on trees.

How often have you said, “What I need is a holiday” And by this you mean packing a bag, leaving the country and preferably heading to the sun for two weeks, returning restored with all your weary woes gone like magic?

I might be a little early with this, I probably am, but yesterday I put my nose out sniffed the air and said to inner self “Its time…….” To get the jet wash out and clean up our two little patio areas, they’re not big, but boy do I adore them every pot is a pot of love and not one inch is taken for granted

So, we’re marching forward into the new year, some of us have specific resolutions others (me) just give it a broad- brush stroke to try and find as much good in the complications of life as we can.

n the chaos of life while busy wearing different hats the person who often puts themselves to the bottom of the ‘To Do List ‘is us, it’s a female thing and largely our fault but definitely comes from our natural nurturing, home making, instincts.

Happy New year, I’m not going to say “Did you have a good Christmas” because the answerer will always be “Yes thank you very much did you?”

I was asked this week to contribute to an article written by Actress Julie Peasgood about favourite toys you had as a child. While chatting I realised that imagination played a great part in our childhood entertainment ‘Let’s Pretend’ was the prefix to a whole host of games.

I read a headline in a newspaper I love and hate in the same sentence. It asked the question ‘Is it possible to have a greener Christmas?’ well if being ‘Green’ is about using less energy and recycling we’re probably doing that already with little room for improvement, so is there anything else we can really do?

I was half listening to BBC Breakfast News this morning, this is something apparently, we all do according to research when it comes to breakfast television.

I loved, loved, loved, opening last week’s copy of My Weekly and seeing The Mindfulness Advent Calender – what a gorgeous idea, whoever thought of it should go to the top of the Christmas class now.

Is this the year we finally put Christmas back in its box (pardon the pun) stop turning it into some unworkable, unreachable fantasy and actually enjoy it?

On Thursday I spoke to our Editor Stuart about possible topics for me to write to you about and he said, what we’re consistently hearing from My Weekly readers is their anxiety over loneliness.

I was thinking today, how good I am at polluting my head with all the things that are wrong with my life, the country, the world and not for one moment am I putting the same amount of effort into the long list of things that are good about my life, the country, the world.