Parties
Oxford in my day was another, better world
I was in the attic killing some Taleban on Medal of Honor when Girl interrupted and said: ‘Dad, what’s this?’…
Dear Mary
Q. What should a host do when a guest says something so embarrassing in front of the assembled company that…
Your problems solved
Q. For the past two New Year’s Eves we have ducked an annual party given by some acquaintances, who are…
Dear Mary: How can girls avoid freezing in cold marquees?
Q. What do you do when you are so cold at a party that you cannot enjoy it? At a…
Palace Notebook
The day of my investiture at Buckingham Palace dawned bringing freezing rain and fierce winds, which lashed at the windows…
Dear Mary
Q. For ten years, I have made a reasonable freelance income working from home. During this time my husband has…
Dear Mary
Q. A neighbour is hosting a party for his daughter’s 21st birthday. Adequate provision has been made for anyone who…
Diary
I was once bundled into a police car in Palm Springs to explain why I didn’t have snow-tyres on my…
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: Your problems solved
Q. There has been a marked increase in the number of people who have pristine flooring and are so keen…
Diary
Can there be anything more perfect than early July in London, when the sun is shining, the sky a cloudless…
Dear Mary
Q. My 16-year-old son, who has recently had his first experiences of Clubland, has observed to me, his mother, that…
Dear Mary
Q. To ask for money in lieu of a wedding present (Dear Mary, 3 August) is ghastly, but an established…
Dear Mary
Q. Over the years my close friends locally have been giving each other birthday and Christmas presents. Now, as I…
