Freelance writer and blogger with a passion for green travel and eco living. Based in Leeds, UK.
Most of us want to be able to control our bodies. That verb might sound quite condemning, and if we were to delve into semantics, I might offer 'check,' 'keep an eye on' or 'curate' as a nod to creati...
It was recently reported that the government is being urged to create opportunities for Britons to learn languages like Polish, Urdu and Punjabi, in order to effect more social cohesion. According to Cambridge professor Wendy Ayres-Bennett, language learning, and indeed social integration, should not be a one-way street; rather, the onus should also fall on British people to learn community languages.
"If you come to this country, you have to learn English." That old adage. Somehow, it seems to unite bigots and those of a relatively progressive mindset, frequently appropriated as an endnote to what can often be explosive discussions over immigration. If the phrase were a country, it would be Switzerland.
I've subscribed to the YouTube channels and my phone is awash with language apps, but I've decided that a private tutor is the surest route to really getting to grips with Arabic. Language-wise, Arabic is no walk in the park, and relative difficulty - alongside other factors, such as work and extended holidays - can lead people to choose private tuition over other learning vehicles.
We've all heard it. Many of us have probably said it, at one time or another. In the wake of the latest report that links an aspect of our lifestyle to disease, sweaty hands grip the steering wheel, cheeks are puffed - blowfish style - and the oft-lamented conviction that "everything bloody gives you cancer, these days" is spat across the dashboard.
A student of mine and I touched on the topic of grammar recently - I with enthusiasm, she as tentatively as a home-alone arachnophobe attempting to incarcerate a spider. She had recently decided to brush up on her French, so I'd put together some materials that would lend themselves well to everyday conversation.
Almost nine years ago to the day, I was standing on a set of scales in my GP's surgery, waiting to be told if my weight had stabilised or dropped. I remember thinking that not weighing myself regularly was something that separated me from people with eating disorders, and I wondered if my GP was thinking the same.
If you're anything like me, you will have triple-ringed the new year as the time to finally start learning that new language. You'll have acquired a dictionary, a phrasebook and some Post-its, and you may have added 500 Essential Verbs in ... to your Christmas list for good measure.
What's in a pronoun? Everything, if you're an LGBT artist singing about love. Exactly when is mainstream music going to accommodate men singing about loving men, and women about loving women? Some readers may be familiar with the Years & Years song Real, in which the band's LGBT frontman Olly Alexander instructs his male love interest to "do it, boy".
Women in their 30s are under plenty of pressure to reproduce now or regret it later. It isn't easy to resist this pressure either; but do we ever really question our motives behind wanting children? Rosie Driffill thinks asking ourselves why we think we want children might be a start
Despite society's ever-increasing understanding surrounding mental health, telling a colleague or boss that you are experiencing mental health difficulties can be challenging. Below are some ideas to help managers and employees enter into a meaningful dialogue and bring about positive and sustainable change in the workplace. I'm used to talking about mental health difficulties.
Our guest blogger Rosie recently went on an adventure to Japan and went on the hunt for vintage style - here's her run down of the best vintage clothing shops in Tokyo. Tokyo, it seems, is awash with vintage stores.
Rosie Driffill reveals a selection of great places to stay that also put something back into the community These five enterprises bring sustainable social initiatives and hospitality together in a way that puts migrants and marginalised workers' rights and ideas first.
Many of us are rubbish at talking about problems in our nether regions. And the linguistic barrier can preclude our seeking the right help. If I tear a muscle, or incur a less-than-ordinary-sized cut or bruise, I'm brilliant at talking to my GP.
Our guest blogger Rosie recently went on an adventure to Japan and went on the hunt for vintage style - here's her run down of the best vintage clothing shops in Tokyo. Tokyo, it seems, is awash with vintage stores.
Verbs can be far more useful than adjectives and nouns when it comes to describing one another. If you had asked me six months ago what I did for a living, I wouldn't have told you I was a writer. Yes, I was writing, but my output was relatively small and accountable for less than a quarter of my income.
Language pedants should ask themselves what really drives them in their policing efforts: genuine concern for sliding standards or a sinisterly hidden form of one-upmanship? A few months ago, a friend of mine - and a very clever one at that - began a text message with the words "its going to be a long night".
Launching a vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Salzburg was always going to be a gamble. Known for its meat-heavy cuisine, conservative values, ageing population, exclusive boutiques and doubly-sticky honeypot in its Sound of Music/Mozart's birthplace heirship (and that's not to make assumptions about the dining habits of all old people who vote conservative and/or trot around singing Do Re Me, but you know what I mean), you might be forgiven for recoiling at the thought of introducing tofu to...
Munich: the greenest city going? September 1, 2014 Think Munich, think bratwurst and beer? While the city may be famous for its traditional gastronomy, it is doing much to shatter the anachronistic prism through which many still see it.
Could you sing - or strum - for your supper? And maybe for a ticket to the next town as well... Rosie Driffill reveals how to turn your talent into a means of seeing more of the planet Ever fancied busking abroad but never been able to muster the courage?
Enabling young fashion designers to show off their final work and make it memorable is no mean feat: everything from the venue to the presentation to the atmosphere has to work.
When it comes to producing sustainable garbs, Paris' most cutting-edge concept stores have set the bar high. From recycling offcuts from Italian fashion houses to championing fairly-traded brands, innovation and supply-chain transparency are the order of the day. Rosie has sourced four such stores that are well worth a visit in the city of love...
Holidays, especially to the kind of places where slivers of prosciutto are considered too small to count as flesh, do require an extra few hours at the drawing board if you're a vegan.
Rosie Driffill reveals everything you need to know about getting around Paris by bicycle Vintage Bicycle in Paris photo from Shutterstock With the Tour de France almost upon us, it's little wonder cycling aficionados from across the globe are ready to descend on the capital for the grand finale.
CQC guidance should inspire providers to change their ways, but it's easy to overlook the real needs of service users Guardian Professional, The Care Quality Commission's recent statement, Putting people first, tells us how it will increase the involvement of service users in the design of its services.
Reluctant TV personality Guy Grieve on the impact - and importance - of taking his young family around the world on a boat Adventurer, author and reluctant TV personality Guy Grieve swapped his office job for the life he really wanted.