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…
Cool it on the triumphalism
Remainers’ anger has subsided, but this is an uneasy peace
Dear Mary
Q. An elderly cousin gave my husband and me a wedding present of two weeks in his villa in the…
Dear Mary
Q. When my mother-in-law visits, she puts newspaper on a dining chair before sitting down. I’m so speechless that someone…
Dear Mary: How can I stop other diners eating my chips?
Q. My husband and I are committed Brexiteers. For many years we have regularly enjoyed friendly bridge evenings with a…
Dear Mary: How can I hang out with smokers at parties without freezing?
Q. As a young woman I tend not to wear that much to social events in the evening, but I…
When a footman’s home is his castle
My own love for this memoir may be all to do with snobbery and self-identification. Moreover, I’ve always thought a…
Dear Mary, from Joan Collins: How do I stop fans asking for selfies in the powder room?
From Dame Joan CollinsQ. Invariably, when I escape to the ladies’ room or powder room or restroom (whatever the current…
Dear Mary: What can we do about our son’s girlfriend’s appalling table manners?
Q. My son has a girlfriend who we like but who has appalling table manners. They come to stay most…
Dear Mary: Why does my feminist friend always expect me to pay for dinner?
Q. One of my very best female friends has got into the habit of lecturing me on gender equality, in…
Dear Mary: How do I stop getting lumbered with the washing up on weekends away?
Q. A friend, who is very careful with his money, occasionally invites a group of six to eight out to…
Dear Mary: How do I stop my husband eating everything in the fridge?
Q. A friend of a friend has an apartment in Venice. I would like to commiserate with her about the…
