The Lady Magazine

8 January 2016

Dear Readers, How often today will you be asked, or indeed will you ask, the question: How are you? The likelihood is that you will answer with a jolly, ‘I’m fine, thank you’ even if things are far from fine. But perhaps you might have slipped into using the catch-all phrase ‘I’m Good’, in which case, beware the wrath of Paul Barnes, who explains that he would like to ban the use of this phrase along with a whole host of other verbal tics including ‘app’ and ‘uni’ or, his real bugbear, the habit of starting a conversation with the single word: ‘So?’ It is a sentiment shared by Thomas Blaikie, who this week tackles the trying problem of people who refer to someone as ‘she’ – a guaranteed cue for the response ‘Who is she? The cat’s grandmother?’ It’s possible that these things grate more in January when we are all faced with trying to keep to our New Year resolutions. It’s so hard – is one little chocolate biscuit really a deal breaker? One way to avoid temptation is to lose yourself in someone else’s narrative, a good book or a film perhaps, and for those who love their drama with a little more grit there is the welcome return of Emilia Fox in Silent Witness. At 41 years old, Emilia still looks as youthful as when she first starred in the role 12 years ago. Her’s is a hard act to follow but, according to Jo Foley’s health advice, simple age management is the new way forward, it just takes a little bit of commitment. Helpful advice for those embarking on Bert Baker’s Ladygram for the first time. Until next week, best wishes Sam Taylor