Many of us feel the pull to head ‘home’ after a stint elsewhere, but as Amy Swales attests, sometimes moving back to where you grew up can be unexpectedly confronting

IN AN AGE OF COMPARISON CULTURE AND GLOSSY SOCIAL-MEDIA LIVES, IT’S HARD NOT TO QUESTION YOUR OWN PROGRESS. BUT THERE’S NO RIGHT PATH TO LIFE AS THESE WOMEN, WHO ARE TURNING CONVENTION ON ITS HEAD AND SHARING WISDOM AS THEY GO, DEMONSTRATE…

Do you daydream about swapping the rat race for an outdoor-centric existence The trailblazers here have all taken dramatic steps to change their lives their stories might just inspire you to do the same

Moving into my new home, I’d already got the neighbours’ curtains twitching. Now I had to reveal my new set-up to my family. What would they think?

The house next door had stood empty for many months and the weeds in the overgrown garden were spreading into my flower borders, becoming a nuisance. I’d taken early retirement when Jack became too il

I stood by the kitchen window; phone pressed to my ear. Outside, frost shimmered across the lawn, and the weak winter sun filtered through the trees. “So, what do you think?” I said to Phoebe. “A post