I thought about all those times I had been invited to play golf and baulked — I could read a book in the time it would take to get around 18 holes; or have the whole house cleaned from top to bottom

Some days it seems like every waking decision I make has the flavour of eco-guilt marbled through it

"I have as much of a problem with people clipping their nails or applying make-up or nail polish on the bus as I do with people watching porn. It’s all about boundaries."

"I don’t know about you but I’d like to request an inquiry into what happened to the first four months of 2022 ... the year is nearly halfway over"

Like everyone else in the country, I am deeply disturbed and distressed by the killing of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee

"It’s amazing how fragile confidence is, how quickly it can disappear, or be pulled from under you, because of a careless cruel word or a thoughtless action."

To give up on the idea that the best years are ahead of us is to give up on hope

"I wracked my brains for something that would accurately and pithily define my life. Who am I, I wondered, Sartre-like over my morning coffee?"

Mother’s Day can stir up all sorts of feelings and there are lots of reasons, not just death or loss or grief, that can make it a difficult time for people

In my twenties, I decided instead of giving things up, I would take things up. I have taken this approach ever since and it’s been a really positive, productive habit in my life