neighbours

Confessions of a lawn obsessive

27 August 2022 9:00 am

For the past few days I’ve been frantically watering my lawn in anticipation of the London hosepipe ban. True, there…

Dear Mary: Is it vulgar to give money as a wedding gift?

2 June 2018 9:00 am

Q. I work at a desk by a window which looks out on to the street where I live. I…

Dear Mary

2 September 2017 9:00 am

Q. Our best friends own a house in Morocco which sleeps about ten. They rent it out but go two…

Dear Mary: What can you do when your new neighbours stiff you on a restaurant bill?

4 June 2016 9:00 am

Q. We moved recently and new neighbours invited us to join them for dinner at a nearby restaurant. I planned…

Making friends with the axeman next door

7 May 2016 9:00 am

What happened when I tried American neighbourliness in London

The gloves are off with the Brothers Turnthetapoff upstairs

30 April 2016 9:00 am

The gloves are off in my battle with the two brothers who live in the flat upstairs. They have just…

How to Measure a Cow — and escape the shadows of the past

26 March 2016 9:00 am

Margaret Forster, who died on 8 February, excelled at writing about complex relationships between women. Even old friends, she demonstrated,…

Dear Mary: new neighbours want me to provide a ready-made social scene

27 February 2016 9:00 am

Q. Former colleagues, with whom I got on very well in the context of the office, are buying a house…

Dear Mary: My neighbour is planning a girls’ night in — how can I escape?

9 January 2016 9:00 am

Q. Although I have met most of the fellow occupants of my building at residents’ meetings, we don’t socialise. However…

Dear Mary: why are young women dyeing their hair grey?

7 November 2015 9:00 am

Q. I have lunch once a month with an old university friend. Over the years we have both thickened out…

Dear Mary: I don’t want perfumed people to hold my baby

15 August 2015 9:00 am

Q. Is there a polite way of not letting someone hold your baby? I love giving mine to people to…

It's my duty to expose my children to the moral depravity of Acton

1 August 2015 9:00 am

A few years ago, I got a bit fed up with receiving Christmas cards from my friends designed to show…

Dear Mary: What can I do about my neighbours’ downmarket recycling?

3 January 2015 9:00 am

Q. Since recycling was introduced in our village, the wall at the end of our drive has become the depositing…

Dear Mary: Do I really have to take my shoes off indoors?

29 November 2014 9:00 am

Q. There has been a marked increase in the number of people who have pristine flooring and are so keen…

Dear Mary: Can I ask for a lift on my friend’s private jet?

18 October 2014 9:00 am

Q. We have moved to the country and my husband often prefers me to drive — not because he wants to…

Dear Mary: Is there anything that can stop companies throwing away my CV?

20 September 2014 9:00 am

Q. I graduated this year (I got a first) and have written more than 70 letters to potential employers. Those…

Warning: upspeak can wreck your career

15 February 2014 9:00 am

Upspeak can damage your career prospects

Melissa Kite: Spare me from successful neighbours

24 August 2013 9:00 am

At last. I’ve waited a long time for this moment. I’ve been through years of torture at the hands of…