“I’m proud of myself for falling over,” I tell a circle of women, and they clap enthusiastically. Falling over in public as an adult doesn’t seem like a natural cue for applause. But I’ve just been inducted into the world of roller derby, and how to fall over safely on roller skates is the first, and arguably most important, skill you learn.
Continue reading “‘Ignore the blood’: If you haven’t fallen over, you’ve not tried hard enough”Category: Features
Covid-19 has hit — and the government refuses to trace infection. You decide to do it yourself
“I promised myself when I retired, I wouldn’t do any more public health – I’d do other things,” says Paul Redgrave, a former GP and director of Public Health in Sheffield, with a touch of wistfulness. A genial, grey-haired 72 year old, he breaks off our conversation at one point in absolute delight at spotting a woodpecker out the window – bird-watching being just the sort of “other thing” retirement is designed for.
Continue reading “Covid-19 has hit — and the government refuses to trace infection. You decide to do it yourself”The rise of the slow living movement
How does the idea of doing nothing for a year sound? No work, no emails, no career progression, no striving or achieving or being productive. For many of us, such a thought might once have brought its own anxiety attack – surely, work is status, earning money is achievement, and being busy is a brag? But these days, a year of nothing is more likely to sound dreamy, even aspirational – there has been, as they say, a vibe shift.
Continue reading “The rise of the slow living movement”An open relationship taught me everything I needed to know about love
Sleeping with someone other than your partner is the ultimate betrayal – the worst thing you can do in a romantic relationship, right? Not necessarily. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the best lessons I’ve learned in how to be a good partner, and have a good relationship, came from exploring non-monogamy.
Continue reading “An open relationship taught me everything I needed to know about love”Murderer, manipulator… or not that bad at all? The reframing of Richard III
For a king who has been dead for more than 500 years, Richard III has been making a remarkable number of headlines this winter. And yes – many of them are discontented. From fights among historians over his actions to casting controversies around fictionalised depictions, Richard III is more contentious than ever.
Continue reading “Murderer, manipulator… or not that bad at all? The reframing of Richard III”How Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury group unbuttoned Britain
“Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than merely to keep us warm. They change our view of the world and the world’s view of us.” So wrote Virginia Woolf in her 1928 novel Orlando, about a young nobleman who lives for several centuries, changing sex along the way.
Continue reading “How Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury group unbuttoned Britain”Trust Me: Never Having Children Doesn’t Mean You’re Going To Be Lonely
Last summer, I was at a festival with about 25 friends. We all camp together, something of an annual tradition, our numbers swelling year on year. Some of these people are among my oldest, closest friends; some are very new ones, whom I might see only once or twice a year; and some have gone from being the latter to the former. Looking around one morning when we blearily, cheerfully gathered for a communal breakfast, I was struck by a realisation: in this large group of people, everyone was child-free.
Continue reading “Trust Me: Never Having Children Doesn’t Mean You’re Going To Be Lonely”Why being messy is good for you
“My home is messy”: four innocuous little words, but when spoken by the oracle of tidying up, Marie Kondo, they were enough to apparently break the internet.
Continue reading “Why being messy is good for you”“I had never hung out with people with wealth like that”: why social class still matters in relationships
In her new novel What Time is Love?, writer Holly Williams explores how class can divide romantic partnerships. Here, she explains why it’s as big an issue as ever in 2023.
Continue reading ““I had never hung out with people with wealth like that”: why social class still matters in relationships”Money matters – financial inequality in straight relationships
Jasmine’s sitting across from David* in the pub. It’s their first date and he’s living up to his Tinder profile – charming, good-looking, and seemingly the perfect mix of ambitious and kind. He paid for dinner, and she was keen to continue the evening in the pub.
Continue reading “Money matters – financial inequality in straight relationships”