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The no-fly mini-break where you wake up to the twinkling Christmas lights

It’s not often that I would contemplate stepping aboard a ship in winter – I still have vivid childhood memories of the Rosslare-Fishguard ferry during a stormy October.But an affordable, no-fly weekend cruise caught my attention. No airport stress, no battle for the armrest – and the chance to wake up in glittering Antwerp – what wasn’t to like? Not to mention that Ambassador Cruise Line’s second ship, Ambition, is far more luxurious than a low-cost flight.Boarding on the Thames at Tilbury, ju...
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I did a mental health MOT - and felt better in 90 minutes

I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with therapy. I guess if I had a regular therapist, it’s something I could discuss with them – but I don’t.In theory, I love the idea of therapy: I can’t get enough of TV programmes about it, drawn in by the dramatic breakthroughs in the fictional In Treatment, and the more subtle progress made with real-life patients in Couples Therapy. My friends who extol the benefits of it say it’s as important a part of their routine as going to the gym, whether they...
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I gave up on Lord of the Rings spin-offs - but the new ones give me hope

When it comes to fantasy and sci-fi, the potential for spin-offs is huge. These universes are, after all, boundless and filled with potential – characters can be reborn, laws of physics can be manipulated, and new lands can be discovered.

Middle-Earth is no exception, particularly given the rich detail gifted to us by Tolkien with his detailed appendices, letters and anthologies of the history of its fantastical inhabitants, not to mention maps and languages.

This year, several more production
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I've always loved a cardigan – and now they’re cool, thanks to Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian knows exactly how to cause shock and awe at the Met Gala.

In years gone by, she has sported a wet-look crystallised latex Thierry Mugler dress, covered her whole face to appear as a creepy Balmain silhouette, and caused outrage among fashion archivists by turning up in Marilyn Monroe’s most iconic look. She’s been shoehorned into the most uncomfortable outfits, admitting that she “couldn’t pee in half of them”. She said of that Marilyn dress: “I can’t even walk in [it], I can’t s
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Who will win The Traitors? These are our predictions

The last time a collective fever of this calibre gripped the UK was probably the delayed 2020 men’s Euros, when England were in the final, every pub in the country was fully booked and everyone forgot that they had never watched a football game in their life. Now, the manic energy in the air is because of a TV show called The Traitors.

We needn’t have worried that series two would fall flat next to the genius of series one – there have been even more camp theatrics, memeable moments and villain
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Melanie C, KOKO Camden review: Star-studded 50th birthday party shows Sporty still has stamina

In her Spice Girls heyday, Mel Chisholm was known for many things – her retro tracksuit bottoms, her athleticism on stage, and arguably the best singing voice as Sporty Spice in the 90s pop supergroup.

She doesn’t disappoint as she bounds on to the stage of a packed KOKO to mark her 50th birthday with the energy of a Labradoodle, her signature sportswear glittering with rhinestones, and belts out her 1999 hit “Northern Star”.

Perhaps it’s the same stamina that has fuelled her over the past 30
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Claudia Winkleman's lady-of-the-manor wardrobe is the best thing about The Traitors

You wouldn’t think it of someone who grew up in rural Ireland, miles from even a corner shop, but I’m a city girl through and through. I haven’t owned a pair of wellies since I was six, and despite growing up in a place with an extremely high likelihood of rain, somehow none of my clothes ever seem to be waterproof.

So my latest sartorial awakening has taken me quite by surprise – it’s all thanks to The Traitors. As stealthy as the murderers stalking the halls of the Scottish castle in the hit
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Cornwall’s temperate rainforest is the county's unsung wonder that beachgoers miss out on

Sometimes it’s hard to see the wood for the trees, as the saying goes, but here it’s at times difficult to distinguish the trees themselves, shrouded as they are with lichens, moss, ferns, ivy, flowering plants and other epiphytes growing from them. High atop one majestic tree, an opportunistic rowan is bravely putting down roots, reaching for the sunshine as it depends on its mother oak for support and sustenance.

Here in the rainforest, the air is thick with chlorophyll and oxygen, and the gr
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John Lewis says the puffer coat is over - I don't care

Let’s face it, there are few good things about the encroaching winter. The evenings are darker, people are grumpier and the only reason you’re in the park is down to the beseeching eyes of the dog, who doesn’t mind a bit of drizzle, even if you do.

The only good thing about the colder months is the lure of the winter wardrobe: fluffy jumpers, wool trousers, big boots. And then there’s my beloved, huge puffer coat, which takes up way too much space in my already bulging wardrobe but fully deserv
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It's okay to admit you like rosé now- I was the worst kind of wine snob and have been converted

It seems our choice of alcoholic beverage is always on the precipice of a fashion “out”. Cosmopolitans had their moment thanks to Sex And The City. Then the cool kids knew that a craft beer was cooler than a big-brand lager. More recently the DayGlo-orange Aperol Spritz had its moment in the spotlight, but even that is basic once again (sorry).

Wine isn’t exempt from the trend-arbiters. Beaujolais has come and gone. Cava was dismissed as muck in favour of prosecco, which in turn is now being di
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How I embraced my inner Barbie and reclaimed pink in my wardrobe at 41

When it comes to fashion trends, we’re all wearing rose-tinted glasses right now. As celebrities walked the (not) red carpet for the LA premiere of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, there was nothing shocking about the sea of pink on display – even the photographers had got the dress code memo. More surprising for me is that so have I – but when did I decide it was ok, now that I’ve entered my forties, to start dressing like my nieces?

I’ve always had a tricky relationship with the colour pink. In m
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Can a music festival unite a divided fanbase at the British Grand Prix?

If you were at the British Grand Prix this weekend, you might have encountered something that can finally rival the decibel level of two dozen F1 cars battling it out on the circuit.

When I thought of motorsport fans, I struggled to imagine 45,000 of them in a venue rocking out to everything from British emerging acts to world-class DJs. But that’s what’s happening at Silverstone, in an attempt to bring a new era of music to the biggest weekend of racing in Britain this year, the British Grand
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Wishcycling… or just a delusion?

Is there anything in everyday domestic life that carries more confusion – and guilt – than the recycling bin?

Do I have to wash my recycling – and if so does it need a quick rinse or a proper scrub with soapy water? (Answer: a proper scrub, as food contamination can ruin the whole load.) Can I recycle pizza boxes? (Not if they’re greasy, apparently.) Cardboard boxes are fine, right? (Nope, not if they’re plastered in sticky tape.)

Increasingly I find myself dithering, arm aloft holding the lid
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Black Coffee at Printworks was a bittersweet wake, mourning the loss of a London institution

It’s a bittersweet booking to kick off the closing weekend for Printworks London, the riverside nightclub beloved by the music scene and now set for demolition. South African DJ Black Coffee made his Printworks debut to a sold-out crowd, filling the cavernous former printing site with his often wistful afro-house beats.

The anticipation for this headliner is palpable as the crowd warms up with Ceri, Syreeta, Danny Howard and Anémé on a marathon night of dance. Ravers chat about where they have
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Nicola Sturgeon and Jacinda Ardern gave women permission to be honest about vulnerabilities

There is a striking similarity between the resignation speeches of Nicola Sturgeon and Jacinda Ardern. Last month, New Zealand’s prime minister said she “no longer had enough in the tank” to do the job, while the Scottish First Minister cited the “brutality” of political life as part of her reason for stepping down.

It’s hard to imagine a male politician delivering this kind of speech. That isn’t to suggest that men have more tenacity and stamina than their female equivalents, or that women sim
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I'm glad John Lewis is killing the floral midi dress - I've removed it from my wardrobe too

Listen, it’s not you, it’s me. We had a good run, and you were always there for me when I needed you, but things have gotten a little stale lately. It’s time for me to move on. In fact, perhaps it is time for all of us to move on.

John Lewis has announced the death of the floral midi dress, to be replaced in upcoming collections with “something new, rather than doing more of the same”. This news will be to the dismay of many women who have relied on the floral dress to be everything from a summ
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Receiving HRT shouldn’t depend on where you live

There have been many medical advances that are considered revolutionary for healthcare and society at large. It is undeniable that HRT is among those – for many women it is considered

life-changing, even life-saving.

Yet it has been dogged by controversy, partly because of outdated evidence linking the treatment to an increased risk of breast cancer and dementia.

There is also the stigma. The narrative around menopause is often that it is a natural part of ageing, while sitcoms poke fun at ho
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The five-star winter sun wonder with £100 hotels and an upscale cannabis dispensary

It takes me a minute to put my finger on what’s different as I sit waiting for my bag in the arrivals hall of Koh Samui’s pretty little airport. When I first travelled to Thailand a couple of decades ago, backpack in tow, it felt bewildering and busy. This time, I was prepared to again be bamboozled by oppressive humidity and crowds, fending off over-zealous taxi drivers and prospective scammers.

But no. As bags bumble out on to the lone carousel, they are claimed calmly by families with young
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From Christina Applegate to Emily Davey, openness about living with MS is smashing the stigma

Being diagnosed with a life-changing condition is never easy, but it must be even more difficult under the world’s gaze. Just as magazines and websites dedicate column inches speculating on whether a starlet is pregnant, or zooming in on an actress’s botched Botox, so too will they hone in on any suggestion of disability. Just look at the viral video of Katy Perry’s “broken doll eyelid” last week, or the frenzy of speculation when Joe Biden appeared to shake hands with fresh air on stage.

So ku
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How I found solace and strength in the kindness of strangers

Permit me a humblebrag. I got asked for ID in the supermarket recently, while scanning my groceries along with a bottle of wine. It made my day – and not just because of my seemingly youthful appearance (thank you, retinol serum). What really left me with a warm glow was the shriek of laughter from the cashier when I whispered to her that I was in fact several decades north of my teens, and her conspiratorial grab of my wrist while she also passed on her regards to my skincare provider. Somehow,
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Mindfulness is overrated. Sheer bliss means allowing ourselves to indulge in mindlessness

I was on a flight recently, settling in for take-off, when I glanced over my friend’s shoulder to see what her choice of in-flight entertainment was. She was playing one of those games on her phone, where you match colours to burst the dots and complete the level.

I was surprised, but pleased. Surprised that one of my most intellectual friends would be playing a “chewing gum for the brain” mobile phone game, and not tackling an impenetrable doorstopper. Pleased because I secretly loved that gam
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Review: Lisbon’s boisterous new boutique hotel is a steal at £75 per night

Lisbon is a city that knows how to let its hair down, and is a fitting location for irreverent hotel chain Mama Shelter’s newest outpost. Mama Lisboa is a pocket rocket of a hotel, managing to balance affordable chic and high-end design with a sense of humour.

Perched on the hillside in Principe Real, the hotel is within walking distance of lively Bairro Alto and many landmark sites (you may want to take one of the yellow trams on the way back rather than clamber up the steep incline). Principe
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Why Preveza on the Greek mainland is the perfect way to get away from it all

It’s a scramble to reach the top of hill, but worth every step. Insects bumble lazily between the flowers, occasionally buffeted by the Maistro, the prevailing northwesterly wind from the Ionian Sea, Greece’s Mistral. Far below, a secluded, secret beach reachable only by a narrow path glints seductively back up to us.

Surrounded by dense vegetation in this nature reserve, it feels as if the ground has barely ever been trodden, despite the headland also boasting an archaeological site of what wa
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Spotting sloths and hiking through the cloudforest on a trip to Costa Rica's national parks

It’s quite the crash course on Costa Rica. Rattling along the roads, admiring palm trees and sweeping valleys, we slow on approaching a bridge before – clunk – running into the car in front of us. It appears to be a minor fender-bender, but we hold our breath as the drivers emerge to inspect the damage.

Then, seconds later, both drivers shrug, smile and get back behind the wheel. No insurance details exchanged, let alone cross words.

Perhaps it’s the pura vida mindset that prevails here. The e
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