Bearing up under the strain: does losing your looks really matter?

teddyThis is Sally Jones. He’s the best teddy in the world.

He used to be beautiful, with proper glass eyes and honey-coloured fur. I dropped him a few times and his eyes broke, and I kissed and hugged him so much that his fur is all worn away.

He’s had a few torn areas over the years and lost a lot of his sawdust filling. I tried to repair him with lumps of cotton wool, but I wasn’t very good at sewing.

Then he had an unfortunate meeting under the bed with my rabbit, Snowdrop, who decided that Sally was delicious before I leapt in to rescue him.

Continue reading “Bearing up under the strain: does losing your looks really matter?”

Do you have a microwave mentality or can you remember a friendly dog for 40 years?

frustrationIt’s been suggested that middle-aged people have an attention span of 20 minutes, but young people today can concentrate for just 5 minutes – the so-called ‘microwave mentality’.

I’d be inclined to doubt these findings. Ever seen a youngster lose interest in a computer game after just five minutes and decide to do their homework instead? Or switch off the TV five minutes into their favourite programme to do a bit of tidying? Me neither.

Continue reading “Do you have a microwave mentality or can you remember a friendly dog for 40 years?”