The more friends dogs have, of both the human and canine variety, the more fun life is. Luckily all you and your pooch need to be popular is a bag of homemade dog treats. Why make them yourself? Because its easy, fun and you know what is in them. Plus when they are baking your dog will be in heaven! My mini Schnauzer, Ricci, is a bit stuck-up. She prefers humans. So I go the extra mile to keep her socialised within her canine family. The photo above was taken at her fourth birthday party. Ricci (right) sits with Billie (white German Shepherd), Casper (Bordoodle) and Pearl (her mum) eagerly wa ..read more

I’ve responsible for a dog show in Hackney for quite a few years now. It’s part of the gardening club’s annual community Flower and Produce Show. It was also the catalyst to owning my own mini schnauzer, Ricci, and consequently holds a very special place in my heart. A fun dog show is very different to Crufts and there’s more to keeping everyone happy than a few dog treats. I’ve put together some tips for putting on your own fabulous event. 1. Every dog gets a prize I live in Hackney, East London, where dogs are de rigueur and everywhere is pooch friendly. Any event that includes a fun dog s ..read more

I feel stuck. Life seems to be on hold and I’m living in limbo, waiting for something to shift. It’s difficult to sleep at night and focus on work during the day. If I can’t kick-start my positivity soon these January blues may turn into a deeper depression. As we enter the third year of the covid pandemic it’s taking its toll. I coped really well in 2020 and I threw myself into doing up and selling our London flat. I dreamed of a new life by the coast but in 2021 things didn’t quite go to plan. The new home remains tantalisingly out of reach and my partner had to have spinal surgery. Now her ..read more

If you follow the growngals instagram feed you’ll have already seen pictures of my weekly canal clean-up. A friend suggested I write about it but I didn’t want this to be a post about virtue signalling. Instead I want to explain how empowering it is to effect change, no matter how small, or niche. The Regent’s Canal in de Beauvoir, East London, has never been clearer than it was this spring and summer. It teemed with tiny fish, the swans bred and dragonflies hovered. It’s the result of the work of a small team of volunteers called The Wildlife Gardeners of Haggerston. They’ve spent the last f ..read more

With Halloween and Day of the Dead on my mind I’ve been thinking about planning my death. Much has been written about how to live our best life but not about how to die well. It is the great taboo. I know exactly how I want to go. I want to slip away in my sleep, peacefully, mid-dream with a smile on my face. Isn’t that what we all want? The odds, however, are stacked against us. Is it possible to plan a good death? I don’t know – but I sure as hell want to try. Contemplating Mortality Death firmly plants itself in our conscious somewhere around midlife. The summer weddings of our youth give ..read more

When I wrote a piece about cruelty free beauty and choosing products not tested on animals it supercharged my own search for the perfect anti-ageing routine. I think I’ve cracked it. It’s a balance of affordability, ease of use and results. I’m sharing what I’ve learned here without including links because I don’t really want to promote any particular brands – its just what works for me. The whole beauty thing pretty much passed me by – those are the pages I usually skip in magazines. Then in my late forties my jawline started sagging, my eyelids drooped and a bag settled permanently under ..read more

I grow attached to my pans. Their individual personalities become familiar; how quickly one browns onions and how gently another simmers. It took months of research before I replaced a favoured pan whose non-stick surface had all but disappeared. So imagine how thrilled I was when this facebook post appeared – help, how do I clean a burnt pan? The post was by a dear friend, and Growngals contributor, Gill Paul. I asked if she would write-up the results to share with you and this is it: While steaming vegetables over my sister’s Le Creuset pot, I accidentally let the water boil dry, leav ..read more

My other half celebrates his birthday in summer so we usually take a few days off with Ricci, our mini schnauzer. Last summer saw mediterranean-style temperatures. By the time we headed for the coast all three of us were desperate to escape the heat of London and breath sea air. If you are looking for a dog friendly escape from the city this might be the perfect mini-break. Fishermans Hut No.6 in Whistable First Stop: Whitstable We set out after a late birthday breakfast on Thursday morning. We don’t have a car so we hired a Zipcar on a four day bundle – dogs are allowed as long as they’re ..read more

I was twelve years old in 1975 when the British sitcom The Good Life hit our screens. Tom and Barbara, the main characters, gave up the rat race to turn their suburban home into a small holding. They wanted an alternative lifestyle, to be self-sufficient, make their own clothes, raise chickens and brew beer. It was a glorious blueprint for a sustainable future. But though the nation loved them they laughed at their innocence. Collectively we chose to follow in the footsteps of their moneyed neighbours, Margot and Jerry, instead. Forty years on I’m wondering how different the world would be if ..read more

I have lived without anything behind my bathroom basin for too long. I decided that what I needed was a shiny glass splashback. Some of you will already know that I love a DIY project, I’ve previously written posts about home improvements for empty nesters and easy tiling. So I gave the room a fresh coat of paint and started researching coloured splashbacks. It’s not hard to find a bespoke glass splashback online but I just fancied having a go myself. In the end it cost me exactly half the price of the cheapest online quote. I did have a friendly glass cutting service nearby which made it very ..read more