Editor’s welcome

We can’t predict exactly how you’ll be feeling as the year comes to a close, but our best guess is that you’ll be in need of a breather. Because for many of us, 2025 has not been painless. Political t

A s this issue lands on your doormat, ...

A blueprint for doing Christmas differently

The river at Alet-les-Bains sparkled in the late afternoon sun as I stood beside it, gripping a smooth pebble in my palm. Around me, five other women, all somewhere between 48 and 62, prepared to do t

‘After the divorce and the kids moving out, I feel like I’ve disappeared. I’ve spent so long being someone’s wife, someone’s mother, someone’s employee – I don’t know what I want any more. Even small

This month marks nine years since I ...