The tree is twinkling in the corner, the wreath is on the door and Christmas music is streaming from the speakers. The ‘season to be jolly’ has well and truly arrived and all that remains is to get the table ready for serving turkey with all the trimmings to your gathering of family and friends. … Read more
Destination weddings have become increasingly popular in recent years with one in four British couples now choosing to tie the knot abroad. Mauritius, St. Lucia, Jamaica and Bali are all among the top wedding locations and it’s easy to see why: virtually guaranteed sunshine, a stunning backdrop to those all-important wedding photos and the opportunity … Read more
Mindfulness has become something of a buzzword in the last few years, resulting in a plethora of apps, books and online courses promising to make you more Zen. While it would be easy to dismiss it as a passing trend, there is concrete evidence that practicing mindfulness can help combat stress and anxiety. Mindfulness can … Read more
If you thought that everything you needed to know about etiquette was contained within your grandmother’s dusty old volume of Debrett’s, it is time to think again. The advent of modern technology, social media and instant communication has brought a new set of rules on how we conduct ourselves in a digital world. ‘Netiquette’ is … Read more
Prince Harry and bride Meghan Markle have continued many centuries-old royal wedding traditions – and created some new ones of their own. – The royal bride always has a spare bouquet made, thanks to a mishap suffered by the Queen at her 1947 wedding. Her bouquet went missing between the newlyweds’ return to the palace … Read more
For a wedding, a big occasion or just because, what does a hat say? Advice from experts including the Queen’s milliner. The right hat can be a real feather in your cap… but you definitely don’t want to look like a mad hatter. We ask three experts to give their advice on choosing the right … Read more
Happy birthday to the most famous of bards. Born 23 April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon – now known as National Shakespeare Day, as well as being St George’s Day – Shakespeare had a huge effect on our language; the Oxford English Dictionary credits him for coining more than 1,600 words in his 52 living years. We … Read more
The land of Mary Poppins, James Bond and Hugh Grant – ah, Great Britain. Our American cousins delight in our accents, traditions and history but not so much in the size of our roads or houses. But is it really so different this side of the Atlantic when it comes to deportment and conduct? Scott … Read more
Women, tired of squeezing themselves into small spaces while men unfold themselves comfortably on public transport, have taken up arms against manspreading in the past few years. The seated posture has been banned on public transport in cities from Madrid to Boston, New York City (where two men have even been arrested for the act) … Read more
From cutlery to seating and napkins to manners, we give you the inside track to fine dining. According to Nicholas Clayton, author of A Butler’s Guide to Table Manners, the way we eat says more about us in a mouthful than our entire CV ever can. That means it is crucial to know your dinner … Read more
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