How I See It...

Hello,

Well, I’ve spent this week finishing off my book titled How To Age Well which will be out next month and I’m already fretting over things I just didn’t have room for. I knew this would happen so I’ve been scribbling them down to drip feed to you over the weeks.

MANNERS MAKETH…

Autumn is fast approaching! My Greek holiday is already fading into the distance, the chill of the night has arrived and yes, even though my flip flops have not yet been put away, they sit in the hall in favour of warmer footwear. However, what hasn’t left me is my holiday Breakfast Buffet Shock, as I stood agog watching seemingly normal families act as if they’d not eaten for a week! Where did table manners go? How difficult is it to sit properly at a table, hold a knife and fork correctly and eat? Thinking back to my childhood – and probably yours – we’d have been in such trouble if we hadn’t adhered to the basic rules. I’ve been quoted many times saying, “You do your children no favours bringing them up useless”. By this I mean teaching them how to make a bed, wash clothes, cook, understand personal hygiene, take part in basic household chores. You’re not being Draconian, since the real world will be a shock if you don’t prepare them for it. I cheekily told the girls when they were little that if they didn’t have good table manners, they’d never get a boyfriend because no one would ever want to take them out for a nice meal. I turned it into a dressing up game. We’d pretend to be at a restaurant taking turns at being waitress or diner. We also played the visitor game, which involved dragging themselves from the TV and saying, “Hello, can I take your coat, and would you like a drink?” The older ones would handle tea, while Claudia, even at six, mixed a fine G&T using her four little fingers as a measure – and all served on a tray with napkin and nuts. I think this went well. Claudia, now 25, still mixes my favorite tipple… and one of these days I must let on that it’s actually 3 fingers!

WARMING UP TO IT

Other reasons I know it is autumn is that summer clothes have gone away in favour of a few warmer ones, the spiders have arrived for their winter holidays, and this weekend we turned on a few radiators. I’ve actually got excited at the thought of a little more warming food coming out of the kitchen. Love, Anthea X