The tree that nearly sent me over the edge
‘We need to get into bed and watch a really good Poirot,’ I said, for I had given him such…
The real reason for the Dartmoor pony cull
Try as I might, I cannot think of an animal welfare issue that is more misunderstood than the survival of…
Why do Americans always want to have ‘the talk’?
‘I’m Native American,’ said one half of the honeymooning couple from Plattsburgh, holding out a small gift as they left.…
Once we Brexiteers get our Irish passports, we can go anywhere
‘There’s a flat rat under the mat!’ I shrieked, and wondered whether that was the sort of jaunty phrase that…
All good holidays start with a border checkpoint
What a treat it was to escape to Cyprus for some sun and a last-minute mini-break. I left the builder…
We’ve lost our only anti-vaxxer friend in the village
‘Can I go now?’ said the farmer I was talking to over my gate, and he looked so scared I…
What do the French see in Ireland?
As the eco-tourism season got under way, the confused-looking French people began to arrive. They come to see ‘la nature’,…
What really killed off the traditional B&B
To B&B or not to B&B? That is the question. Whether it’s nobler to offer breakfast to a guest is…
I wanted to rescue this waiter
‘Something I like to do with all my tables is ask what brings you here today?’ said the young waiter…
Americans think they want the ‘real Ireland’. They don’t
As the first Americans of the season got out of their car I scrunched up my face and groaned. ‘They’re…
Is my plumber right about Armageddon?
The plumber was shouting hysterically at me down the phone because I had asked him to install a heated towel…
‘People are at breaking point’: on the road with the Irish fuel protestors
A fuel protestor stood on top of a tractor waving a tricolor. In Ireland, everything is about nationhood and the…
How far would I go for oil?
The oil delivery man had way too much swagger and, as he waved his nozzle about, I realised that he…
What the hell is going on with Melania Trump?
Melania Trump’s bombshell statement yesterday on the Jeffrey Epstein affair needed subtitles. As she spoke it was all so odd.…
Has Airbnb just declared war against its hosts?
The Airbnb help centre chatbot kept telling me that she understood how frustrating it must be for me to have…
Meghan is a woman much misunderstood
Lying in bed with a swollen face, I decided that the best thing to do was nothing, so I ended…
Nothing beats a posh hospital room
The private hospital room in Chelsea was so relaxing I would have stayed for a week if it was affordable.…
I’m stuck in a house of madness
‘I want to learn Iranian,’ said my father, resolutely, as he watched the bombing on the television. ‘Farsi,’ I said,…
Being kind to my parents means saying no to them
After a week in Coventry dealing with two parents with dementia, it would have felt like a nice spa break…
My mother has become a hostile stranger
‘Do you know who I am?’ said the voice belonging to the lady who used to be my mother, crossly,…
The day Peter Mandelson tried to get me sacked
Assuming it was full of junk, I tried to pull the trunk out of the way but I couldn’t move…
I broke my phone… and then the repairman
The man in the phone repair shop smiled all too confidently and told me that there was nothing I could…
Has Ireland’s tourist board just killed my Airbnb?
The estate agent said that they would send someone round tomorrow and I had to calm them down. Come in…
Hell is a dog café
The dog café had a pretty pink sign describing its many services and I stood outside it mesmerised as I…
My house is devouring me (and my relationship)
The panic of another season bore down on me as the builder boyfriend painted the breakfast room with the green…
