Visiting gardens in the English National Garden Scheme is enough to bring on an attack of horticultural obsequiousness. As much as I can admire the gardens of others it’s hard not to feel completely idiotic in the company of learned hardy planters. Luckily I... 
People often mistake a basset’s doleful looks as a sign of low intelligence. But no, bassets are deeply thoughtful dogs who act almost entirely in service of themselves. Asking a basset hound to co-operate for your benefit is a short cut to insanity. They will... Sitting by the little pond in my parents garden last night reading was a near perfect moment until it a touch of solo holiday guilt overwhelmed me knowing that my New Zealand family and friends were down under with the dark and cold. Separation from family and... Teetering on the cusp of England and Wales is the bibliophile’s playground of Hey-on-Wye, famed for its second hand bookshops and book festival. If you are a book lover, Hay will keep you entertained in the shops’ maze-like layouts and millions of books on... These days, trips down memory lane are a frightening experience. I am now that older person who reminisces about how things used to be. Today I had lunch with my Dad and Brother is a tea shop in Newport which was once a bookshop where I had a Saturday job when I was... 