Good Plot News Today

The British tradition of families getting together to watch Queen’s message on Christmas Day is one, I’ll confess, I wasn’t familiar with before I moved to the UK. It’s exactly the kind of quaint Britishness we read about from afar or watch in Richard Curtis films. So much so, that I couldn’t quite get my head around it.

“My Sustainable Life”, a new series by the Independent, looks at how famous figures take steps in their daily lives to make a more sustainable world. Drawing from the worlds of politics, fashion, music and beyond, the figures are interviewed about how they have adjusted their habits to living sustainably – helping to inspire others to do the same.

The pandemic has uprooted our entire way of living, it disrupted even the firmest of plans, displaced lifelong habits and ushered in new ones. One area where this rings particularly true, is our approach to healthy living – our nutritional habits, exercise regimes and how we maintain our general wellbeing.

But to turn any vision into reality means finding people who understand what it is you are trying to achieve and can put it into practice. I have been incredibly lucky to find a chef, suppliers, and designers, who not only understand it, but have been able to exceed any expectations I had.

This week, I want to use this column to talk about something slightly out of the ordinary. We all know that lockdown is a mental and physical challenge for us all. This week is Children’s Mental Health Week, and there’s never been a better time to take stock of your family’s mental health, as well as your own.

Model Mandy Lieu is transforming Ewhurst Park in Hampshire into a mosaic of habitats for people and nature.

Model Mandy Lieu is transforming Ewhurst Park in Hampshire into a mosaic of habitats for people and nature.

A FORMER shooting estate is being transformed into an “edible landscape” that restores nature at the same time as producing food.

Until she bought the estate two years ago, Malaysian model Mandy Lieu was more likely to be seen in a Dior advert than a pair of muddy boots