Category Archives: The Village

High heels; help please!

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Karen McKibbin

Could my days of skyscraper high heels be over? High heels are about walking tall, feeling fabulous and exuding red carpet glamour. They are Sarah Jessica Parker. Kitten heels are elegant yet girly and fun. Think Michelle Obama in a … Continue reading →

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Keep pedalling

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Karen McKibbin

Hubby told me that he burned 1000 calories on his last cycle ride. He revealed this just as we were both about to tuck into our dinner. Maths wasn’t my strong point at school (I scored marginally higher than dunce) … Continue reading →

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The Village: A right royal do

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Karen McKibbin

“What do you mean I’m cooking for the street?” This was my husband’s horrified reaction when I told him that I’d volunteered us to help arrange a street party. I explained that it was just a get together for the … Continue reading →

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The Village: A bridge too far?

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Karen McKibbin

And there I was thinking that we were happily integrated into village life. I was wrong. Today the barricades went up; the village’s first no-go area is now official. I spent my formative years in strife torn Northern Ireland. They … Continue reading →

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May Day madness

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Karen McKibbin

Roll up your ribbons and dismantle your maypoles. May Day is cancelled! We’ve celebrated May Day in this country for centuries – the crowning of the May Queen, Morris and maypole dancing and necking down real ale (sorry, is it … Continue reading →

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Pilates please

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Karen McKibbin

Booking a place on a Pilates class at my local gym takes the kind of Herculean organisational skills that I obviously don’t have. I’ve been told that I have to book the class exactly 8 days in advance (no pre-booking … Continue reading →

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The Village: Switched on or tuned out?

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Karen McKibbin

I recently travelled back from Saffron Walden on a bus packed with schoolchildren. Each child was locked in their own private world either listening to their iPod, texting on their mobile phone or playing the latest computer game. The passenger … Continue reading →

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Stockings for me

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Karen McKibbin

I don’t understand the allure of camping out in the middle of the night just so that you can be first in line for the Next sale. Or bagging a place at the head of the Selfridges queue, your nose … Continue reading →

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The Women’s Land Army: how it fought and won the battle to feed the nation

Posted on November 14, 2010 by Karen McKibbin

An old proverb states that, “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. The woman who feeds him well, so the saying goes, will win his affections forever. But what if food is scarce and it’s not just … Continue reading →

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The Village: “Lady with the twenty pound note”

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Karen McKibbin

I’d just sprinted down the road to catch the No 5 bus and was out of breath by the time I mounted the steps. I fumbled around in my purse looking for loose change to pay my fare and silently … Continue reading →

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