Mr F and I are just back from visiting our old home town, and with mixed feelings. Very. For the first time in many years we were there without any responsibilities: no work to do, no guests to feed. Everywhere we went we were greeted so warmly and pressed to have dinner or a drink…

I’ve decided I’m giving up Sunday newspapers. I just opened today’s  Telegraph magazine and saw a fashion photo of a dress with a £3,600 price tag and I said to myself, ‘are they out of their freaking minds!’ The Telegraph used to be a sensible paper, so sensible it employed me as a columnist for…