What I'm loving this month. . .

ALMOND MILK & HONEY BODY CREAM FROM THE BODY SHOP

It feels very nourishing and clean, and settles to a really lovely fragrance.

INA GARTEN’S VEGETABLE TIAN (EASY TO FIND ONLINE!)

I’m a bit obsessed with this at the moment. I use aubergines instead of courgettes, and it is superb. Lovely for a cold night. Now, if only the rains would come.

THE MICK HERRON SLOW HORSES SERIES

The Slow Horses are a group of disgraced spies who while away their days doing dull admin and not much else – except when they do. They’re flawed and broken, but they’re not stupid, especially not the disgusting (but extremely smart) Jackson Lamb. There’s something very English about the approach and the characters, and I’m loving the series.

THE BUDDHIST RETREAT CENTRE IN IXOPO

CNN featured it as one of the top 10 meditation centres in the world, and it is a real haven in the sense that it offers a safe harbour for a while from which to explore if you choose to. Set in a 120 hectare property with extraordinary indigenous flora and about 160 bird species, it has beautiful views over the hills and valleys of KZN. This was my first visit, but there will be many more.