I’ve just set myself a ridiculous goal: to give a speech in French. To French people. I haven’t spoken French for a very long time. I got an embarrassingly bad grade at A-level, over thirty years ago. But the event is in November – so I’ve got plenty of time to brush up – and I’ve…
HOW PLANTING A TREE COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE
I spent a day planting trees last week. It was an uplifting experience with a HUGE number of healthy ageing benefits. In fact, I think it could be top of the charts for age-well activities – see below! I volunteered at the Woodland Trust’s First World War Centenary Woods at Langley Grove, Surrey. Each tiny…
WHY LONELINESS IS AN EPIDEMIC and BAKED ZA’ATAR CHICKEN
What does it say about us as a nation that we need a Minister for Loneliness? It’s both uplifting that the issue is being addressed, and heart-breaking that it needs tackling in the first place. We are living through an epidemic of loneliness, where smaller households, longer working hours, a more transient workforce and increased…
GREEN SPACE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH
Do you have time in the countryside planned this summer? I hope so. If not, find a bit of green space nearby (city parks are great) and aim for some Green Time every day. We’ve been singing the praises of trees and the great outdoors for some time now, but in the last few weeks…
WHY YOU SHOULD BE DANCING (& CHRISTMAS NUTS)
What you doin’ on your back, aah/ You should be dancing yeah… Anyone remember those lyrics from the Bee Gees? Well, it turns out the Bee Gees were right. And as we’re in full party swing, I’m delighted to bring you the facts and figures showing why we really should be dancing (yeah). I’m not…
HOW TO AGE WELL THIS AUGUST – AND CITRUS FISH BAKE
It’s August and I hope you’re getting a break. More and more evidence suggests that taking a break to relax and recharge is a vital weapon in the battle to age well. A joint study by the Universities of California and Harvard found that a holiday reduces genetic markers linked to stress and the quantity…
HOW TO LIVE HAPPILY EVER LAUGHTER & FARRO SALAD WITH EGGS AND SMOKED MACKEREL
A few weeks ago I had dinner with one of the UK’s kings of comedy. Charlie Higson, writer, producer and comedian in shows like Saturday Live, the Harry Enfield Programme, Reeves and Mortimer and The Fast Show, had us all in stitches. After a while, we were laughing before Charlie even opened his mouth, almost…
CAN A KIWI FRUIT HELP YOU SLEEP? PEACH AND MOZARELLA SALAD WITH SMOKED ALMOND PESTO
Teenagers everywhere are pushing through, red-eyed and exhausted, to the end of exam period (in the UK, at any rate). My eighteen-year old daughter is no different. With a head full of hay fever, she spends her days revising before collapsing into a night of inadequate sleep and waking at dawn as the light streams…
HOW TO BE CALM – SMOKED MACKEREL BRUSCHETTA
I wrote recently about gratitude, after fracturing my skull and realising how lucky I was to be alive. But as I convalesced, other less positive thoughts also swam around my head. In particular, I began thinking about people who live with fear. Why? Because I too had suddenly become fearful: What caused my collapse? Would…