Ken Ogata dies
Japanese actor Ken Ogata has died of liver cancer aged 71
Actor Ken Ogata is best known to me for his part as Mishima in the Paul Schrader film of the same name
A gown a day keeps the doctor away
I wasn't allowed a dressing gown as a child and I wonder if it's why I'm so nuts about them now.
At the back of my mind, I'm planning a new dressing gown for winter.
Budget cooking - the slow cooker
A slow cooker is a great way to produce delicious food as well as save money.
With the cost of food and fuel becoming a burgeoning issue, it's time for the return of the slow cooker.
Shopping? How does that go again?
The visit of a friend has made me realise that I no longer go shopping just for the fun of it
If you want to cure yourself of the shopping habit, the answer is simple - don't go into shops.
Back in the land of blogs
After two weeks off, it's quite a relief to be back at my desk
It's two weeks since I last blogged and I find that I've missed it.
Not gone but best forgotten?
Has Baroness Warnock really called for Alzheimer's patients to be 'put down'?
For some of us, it is our greatest fear that we should contract Alzheimer's, but even the most demented patients were once as we were and are surely worthy of our care and respect.
Look stylish on a budget - part six, maintenance
Maintaining a groomed appearance means taking care of your clothes - especially important if you're on a budget.
If you treat everything you own as if it cost ten times the price, a small wardrobe can go a long, long way.
Look stylish on a budget - part five
If you're on a budget, you need to think laterally about where to buy from
If you're on a fixed income, try buying clothes only twice a year.
Do I smell mutton?
For all that we like to follow fashion and express ourselves, so much of what we wear is still about looking appropriate.
When an older woman dresses like a teenager, why does it feel 'wrong'?
Look stylish on a budget - part four
You can keep to a tight budget for clothes and still look great, provided you buy the right things. Here, let's look at the specific qualities you need in your clothes.
Being stylish doesn't mean having a huge wardrobe and it doesn't mean having a huge budget either. Here's how to make what you buy really count.
Look stylish on a budget - part three, buying strategies
Looking stylish doesn't require a huge budget, but you do need discipline, flair and a strategy for buying.
Look stylish on a budget - part two
You can look very stylish on a budget, but it takes application and practice
In part two of this series on dressing on a budget, let's look at making the most of what you already have.
Look stylish on a budget - part one
Style is attainable at any age and even on a modest income
Looking stylish takes persistence, application and flair, but you don't need a large budget.
Thrift becomes chic again
Shopping at discount supermarkets is becoming hip in the UK
If British shoppers are deserting the high-end supermarkets, more power to them.
Jacobs' bad taste shakes up an over-safe New York
After so much white organza in New York, Marc Jacobs' kitschy 30s look was a refreshing change.
The New York spring collections were a symphony of feminine restraint. Except for Marc Jacobs.
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