Dear Mary
Dear Mary
Q. After a recent dinner I found myself on a two-seater sofa enjoying the restful company of a woman who…
Dear Mary
Q. We enjoyed the Christmas University Challenge series featuring mature graduates, some of whom were more in the public eye than…
Dear Mary: Your Problems Solved
Q. Since recycling was introduced in our village, the wall at the end of our drive has become the depositing…
Dear Mary
Once again Mary has invited some of her favourite figures in the public eye to submit personal queries for her…
Dear Mary: Your Problems Solved
Q. My husband employs an ageing rocker in his shop. She is highly efficient, and is an extremely nice woman.…
Dear Mary: Your problems solved
Q. There has been a marked increase in the number of people who have pristine flooring and are so keen…
Dear Mary
Q. Success has come to me in later life with an unfortunate side effect. Since my career has taken off,…
Dear Mary
Q. What is the correct thing to say to a writer friend whose book you haven’t read? I buy most…
Dear Mary
Q. My future son-in-law has been successfully house-trained in the use of upper-middle-class English over the years that he has…
Dear Mary
Q. I am organising my 21st birthday party at our family house in Italy. It is a fantastic location, but…
Dear Mary
Q. What can you do when disorganised friends say they would love to come to a concert with you but…
Dear Mary
Q. We have moved to the country and my husband often prefers me to drive — not because he wants to…
Dear Mary
Q. I have been trying to get an apprenticeship in fashion for over a year without success. I just had…
Dear Mary
Q. What is the etiquette on tipping in London houses? I have been in the habit of staying with friends…
Dear Mary
Q. The Idler Academy is within walking distance of my house and I note from the programme of autumn events…
Dear Mary
Q. I graduated this year (I got a first) and have written more than 70 letters to potential employers. Those…
Dear Mary
Q. My problem is that an older friend, with whom I enjoy lengthy telephone chats, becomes furious when my call…
Dear Mary
Q. In his Spectator notebook of 30 August, describing a recent gaudy at the Oxford college he attended in the…
Dear Mary
Q. When someone gives you anti-ageing cream as a present, is that an insult or a compliment? — A.O., Provence…
Dear Mary
Q. My neighbour is really lovely and always helps me chainsaw trees. He used to be the herdsman at the…
Dear Mary
Q. We have taken a flat in Edinburgh for a month and a young girl, temporarily homeless and a friend…
Dear Mary
Q. A scholarly book of great importance to me appears to have gone missing from my library. It was heavily…
Dear Mary
Q. At a drinks or a dinner party, when very attentive waiters are hovering, I tend to let them keep…
Dear Mary
Q. I live far away from my brother and his family, but went to stay with them recently for the…
Dear Mary
Q. My former cleaner has now retired and lives nearby. I visit her with clockwork regularity and always enjoy seeing…
