Dear Mary
Q. As we attend socially distant events, we expect of our hosts a scrupulous accommodation of our preferences around physical…
Dear Mary
Q. During lockdown I have done my level best to assist with household chores. Last week, while my wife was…
Dear Mary
Q. Just before Covid, we moved out of London with the intention of having a quiet life in the country.…
Dear Mary
Q. How can one politely stop predatory kissers? I am (or was) an affectionate and demonstrative person but I don’t…
Dear Mary
Q. I know it is rude to ask, when invited to a dinner party, ‘who else is coming?’ I assumed,…
Dear Mary
Q. Now we are instructed to mingle again, I’m sure I’m not alone in being surprised to find an awkwardness…
Dear Mary
Q. I own a small, somewhat shabby and antiquated but well-located flat in central London which I have been happy…
Dear Mary
Q. Please can you tell me the correct etiquette about signing the visitors book after you are married? Obviously you…
Dear Mary
Q. My goddaughter was getting married in July but due to Covid-19 this has been postponed. I had already chosen…
Dear Mary
Q. For me the hallmark of a really close friend is someone with whom you feel comfortable enough to bring…
Dear Mary
Q To your correspondent with a guest whose table manners offend (2 May), you suggest screening him off with a…
Dear Mary
Q. I am being driven to distraction by a touchy relation who has responded to the lockdown by WhatsApping me…
Dear Mary
Q. Several of my friends and family members have moved on from dark thoughts concerning 9/11, the Kennedy assassination and…
Dear Mary
Q. Each day while working from home, I have at least one hour-long meeting via Zoom. One of my colleagues…
Dear Mary
Q. Caught in Switzerland as the ski resort shut down around my ears, and feeling like a walking health hazard,…
Dear Mary
Q. Mary, what percentage of cleaners’ normal wages should we pay them when they can’t come in for the foreseeable…
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Q. Our son and his girlfriend have announced their engagement and we are delighted with his choice. Our problem is…
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Q. We recently welcomed an 18-year-old au pair into our young family, and I’m pleased that she has settled in…
dear mary your problems solved
Q. How can I stop a member of the household from glutting out on the chocolate supply I have stockpiled?…
Dear Mary
Q. I am arranging the seating plan for my daughter’s wedding and have a problem with one of her guests…
It’s not all bad news
Even a deadly pandemic has its positives
Dear Mary
Q. I adore doing jigsaws and these days there’s an added bonus — by posting my progress on Instagram I…
Dear Mary
Q. I see a lot of two of our grandchildren because they live in our London house. We are centrally…
Dear Mary
Q. I am having a drinks party to celebrate the publication of my latest book. I sent out invitations (to…
Dear Mary
Q. I have hired a private room in a restaurant in order to give dinner to a large number of…
