This is just the time where we need to get organised where gifting is concerned. The period between summer holidays ad Christmas always catches me out. I have these grand plans to get my list in order and have it all done and dusted by end of November. But of Read more…
Ah the heady cloudless blue sky of bright summer. Wow and what a summer this is turning out to be already. When we reach first week of the tennis tournament, we know that summer has arrived and if the pattern from the last couple of years, is the norm, then Read more…
When you select gifts for folk, it’s obviously a good idea to check the type of celebration it’s for. Birthdays can be a bit tricky, some women, my mother included, won’t entertain the idea of any household or domesti article being given to her as a present. So no fancy Read more…
I have been helping out at a historic house in the way of hall stewarding. This has been great fun and very interesting for me to learn about the house itself, the various owning families and the running of it from the staffing point of view. There are basement rooms Read more…
There are so many times in a year when you suddenly realise that it’s a special birthday or notable anniversary approaching. This calls to mind a few years ago when the grandparents were celebrating that amazing Diamond 60th anniversary It is some time ago now. So much so that it Read more…
When a couple decide they’re doing ok and one or other decides to pop the question, it isn’t always the “will you marry me” kind. These days of very expensive living and high deposit house buying the question is often one of just knowing if you can move in with Read more…
After months of planning and organising, the summer holidays eventually arrive – the excitement is exactly the same now as it used to be when we were youngsters. The wonderful freedom of being on the beach, not for us the hot sandy beaches of far off lands. We used to Read more…
A colleague was recently mentioning the difficulty encountered when trying to organise a ‘1940s’ Tea Party for elderly relatives celebrating a very significant anniversary. The problem had been in acquiring exactly the right style of tea plates and matching cake stands of the correct design for the times. There are Read more…
These days there are celebrations of all kinds, faith, non faith, family anniversaries, birthdays and of course, Christmas. The need for giftware of some sort has never been stronger. The time to search, compare, purchase and wrap the chosen article is by contrast, shorter than ever. So many families are Read more…
Just when you sit and relax in the last of the summer sunshine and bask in a little of the indian summer heat, it is jolly difficult to contain thoughts to the critical job of the year – buying the best Christmas and New Year presents for friends and family. Read more…