As an aspiring tennis player I'm well versed in losing. After a horrendous streak of losing, similar to my dear football club Chelsea, I'm questioning the merits of trying and coming up short a little too often. When losing seems to be the trend, especially if you have team mates that depend on you, some self reflection is needed. Are you unrealistic about your talent? Are you mentally up to this? What the HF are you doing with your life?! Losers learn! Is this the most patr

In an attempt to attract mothers to be, I put up a couple of luxury wooden penthouses in secluded parts of the garden. These were summarily ignored for cosy nooks between the roof and the trim. I may have misjudged the type of bird; upscale was not their thing, utilitarian with sticks and a bed of pine straw is more their milieux. I've counted five nests so far; two between roof beams, one in the wood pile, and one in each of the Abelias. I am so looking forward to watchi

I want to look as good as M. M is my mother. She's M because she dislikes the moniker mum; mummy ceased being appropriate when I was 4, and Mother is just too formal, notwithstanding it sounds a little ominous. Secretly, I think she enjoys the MI6 associations the letter suggests. At 88, M has a full head of silvery white hair. This she puts down to her daily consumption of millet flakes. Bird food! I think she discovered this when I was in my thirties and still cared in