Now to Love

I’ve never known a lot about wine. My wife is something of a connoisseur and early in our marriage I committed what is considered a cardinal sin among the wine set. My wife was out with the girls and I had a mate over for a few drinks. We had worked through our case of […]

Question: I have a one-year-old cat who will eat anything, even pumpkin skin. We have got her on a strict diet of low calorie biscuits from my vet, but nothing fills her up. She is hungry 24 hours a day and will devour anything she can find. She has been tested for diabetes and thyroid […]

We have found that our small dog is much better when travelling if she has a light meal three to four hours before we leave and then a gingernut biscuit once in the car. The ginger in a biscuit is obviously enough to settle a wee dog’s tummy. Lesley Burns

Question: I have really thin, straight hair, especially from the front — how can I get it to look fuller? Anita Answer: Start by using a volumising shampoo and conditioner and a styling mousse. When drying your hair use a large, round bristle brush first and then roll hair up into Velcro rollers. After you […]

IN THE CHILLY, early hours of October 15, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and her husband, Crown Prince Frederik, offered their joyous country not only a new heir to the throne, but the promise of a fresh approach to royal baby raising. The couple’s intention to be hands-on parents was underlined within seconds of their […]

From migrants’ child to leading television journalist, Jana Wendt surveys her career and speculates for Michael Sheather on what lies ahead. JANA WENDT HAS a gift for understatement. What she finds “uncomfortable”, most people would find terrifying. What she defines as “a moment”, others might describe as heart-stopping. During a career spanning more than 26 […]

If you’ve always thought that fancy folds in napery were too difficult to attempt, think again. Start off with the simple and elegant pocket design. Step 1 Fold the napkin in half and in half again, to form a square a quarter the size of the original. Fold the top right corner (A) down so […]

Exclusive extract from One Sunday (Macmillan), written by Joy Dettman. Tom heard that hammering and he didn’t want to wake up and hear it took it into his dream. It was the young Ronnie, in uniform. In his dream, he reached for his oldest boy, then he saw he had no face, no arms, and […]

One of the biggest mistakes writers make is trying to do everything perfectly, immediately. Anne Lamott, author of Bird by Bird, writes, “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. Perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness, playfulness and life force.” Most people discover that when they learn to turn off […]

Writing fiction is not an intellectual exercise. One of the keys to creating powerful fiction is to evoke emotion in your writing. You want your writing to create an emotional response in the reader. It is the emotion that will connect the writer and the reader to your characters and your story. So when you […]