Am I the only one who dreads the annual ski holiday?


When I go skiing with my family, I take lessons every morning, meet up with everyone for lunch and then finish for the day going back to the hotel to have a bath, a massage or catch up on my work. Sounds perfect, right? Then why is it that I dread the annual ski holiday?


Some people really love skiing. For me, it’s more of a service to my family. My husband and kids love it, but I feel like I get left behind because quite honestly, I’m full of fear and I don’t want to ski the runs that they do. I am probably a better skier than I give myself credit for, but I don’t have confidence in my own abilities.


4 steps towards transforming your experience:



Step 1 – Set an intention


I spent years dreading the ski holiday focusing on what I didn’t like, what could go wrong and what I was scared of. This year I changed my mindset and everything was transformed. I resolved to do it differently this year by...

Spring marks the tantalisingly brief 8 week season of British asparagus from the end of April to the end of June. It’s time to eat English asparagus now!

As a person not native to England, I very quickly fell in love with this local, seasonal offering that seems to taste better here in season, than anywhere else at any time of year.

Asparagus deteriorates relatively quickly after picking, so it’s best to eat it as soon as possible. Luckily for me, my mother-in-law grows it in her garden:

A Brief History

Earliest records of asparagus cultivation trace it back to Greece some 2,500 years ago. The Greeks believed that asparagus possessed medicinal properties and recommended it as a cure for toothaches. It was highly prized by the Romans who grew it in high-walled courtyards. Asparagus has been grown in England since the sixteenth century (it is not widely cultivated anywhere else in the UK) and during the nineteenth century it caught on in North America and China.

Not only...