Angela Zaher started cooking with her two sons after their school encouraged parents to involve children in the kitchen. ‘They instructed us how useful it would be for them academically: learning about fractions through cutting up apples in segments, weighing ingredients on scales…’ Angela says. ‘The plan worked beautifully, but what was really striking was …
Ashen-faced, soaked in rain and with a big swollen cheek, my husband returned home. He’d had a tooth out and – apparently – I’d said I’d meet him afterwards at the dentist. The penny slowly dropped. I’d said that I’d meet him after his appointment, but started chatting with a friend. And then totally forgot. …
In some of the most remote landscapes, it’s a source of wonder to find stone walls meandering for miles, almost stitched into the fabric of the hills and dales. Hunkered against the elements, they stand testament to the skill of those who laid them. The technique of building walls from locally available stone – without …
What do you think of when you hear the word obligation? For many, it can create an uncomfortable, often negative feeling, where you feel pressured into a commitment. Perhaps you feel a reluctance to show up and complete a task, which obligation has turned into an inconvenience. And yet, as an integral part of the fabric …
There is a part of the creative process that often goes unnoticed. It isn’t the spark, the initial idea that came into your head on a random Thursday afternoon. Or the rhythm of the making, or even the standing back and looking as the picture or piece emerges. It’s the quiet pause at the end …
There’s nothing quite like pottering around the garden with your dog at your heels, watching them relax in the shade of a tree as you tend your flower beds or plant up containers. Many gardeners are also dog lovers – including famous faces like Gardeners’ World veterans Monty Don and Alan Titchmarsh – and spending …
It can feel as if you’re being told every day about the benefits of exercise and how it can help you on all levels, not least living a longer and happier life. But the truth is, as you age, your body changes. And even if you’ve worked hard at staying fit all your life, exercising …
You did it! You aced the interview, and the promotion you’ve had your heart set on is yours. But where you expected to feel elation, the ultimate sense of achievement, there’s a nagging voice in your head interrupting your celebrations. ‘What’s next?’ it says. ‘You can do better, you know.’ You’re not alone in chasing …
What do you think about the idea of visiting an art gallery? Perhaps it reminds you of school trips and reminders not to touch the paintings. Maybe they’re somewhere you only go while on holiday. You might visit on a whistle-stop tour of a city, ticking famous paintings off your list. They’re there to be …
As niche jobs go, don’t you think it could be compelling to be the researcher tasked with studying the gaze and brain activity of a group of readers as they embark on a novel? Would the data confirm that while some eyes dart and dance their way across the page, others linger and widen as …
