Dear Mary
Q. My partner and I recently had two close friends — one a Peer, the other a former Member of the…
Dear Mary
Q. Some rather flashy new neighbours of ours — I won’t mention their names as his will be familiar to…
Dear Mary
Q. Our best friends own a house in Morocco which sleeps about ten. They rent it out but go two…
Dear Mary
Q. I am in my seventies and my husband is in his nineties. The other night we had two couples…
Dear Mary
Q. Mary, I am what you would probably call a Sloane Ranger. I have great numbers of close friends and…
Dear Mary
Q. I was brought up to stick rigidly to any invitation accepted and never to ‘chuck’ when a better one…
Dear Mary
Q. I’m shortly to host a very large family gathering. Everyone will be related to the same ancestor, so we…
Dear Mary
Q. My children are very lucky in that we have bought them all flats. However, they are now renting out…
Dear Mary
Q. Last summer a friend of my brother-in-law’s house-sat for us while we were in Greece for a week. We…
Dear Mary
Q. Is there an etiquette regarding security gates? My wife and I were invited to dinner by new neighbours who…
Dear Mary
Q. ‘Alfred’ is a friend of 30 years’ standing who has just married for the first time. Alfred retains all…
Dear Mary
Q. We have friends to stay each year in Scotland and it’s always a pleasure. Guests know there is signal…
Dear Mary
Q. I import a range of very high-quality food products from Europe into the UK. They are regarded as the…
Dear Mary
Q. Having retired, my husband is now an enthusiastic observer of the goldfinches, greenfinches and bullfinches in our garden. Their…
Dear Mary
Q. We have received a ‘save the week’ card from friends who take a villa abroad every year. We usually…
Dear Mary
Q. I am a member of a well-known country house opera society, and I organise annual trips to performances for…
Dear Mary
Q. Re getting away from bores at drinks parties (Dear Mary, 20 May). I take issue with the idea that…
Dear Mary
Q. My mother always told me that only boring people are bored. However she never got stuck at a drinks…
Dear Mary
Q. My 23-year-old son has taught himself to play the piano, learning the theme tune to The Truman Show without…
Dear Mary
Q. I have a very good cleaner who comes once a week. She is far more efficient than anyone I’ve…
Dear Mary
Q. New colleagues invited us to lunch but didn’t warn us that the clippings had not been cleared up from…
Dear Mary
Q. May I pass on a tip to readers wishing to reject a hopeful romantic partner without hurting their feelings?…
Dear Mary
Q. My aunt lives in a small market town with narrow roads and limited parking. A neighbour opposite acquired a…
Dear Mary
A friend of a friend hosted an engagement party in a London hotel. Invitations had gone out six weeks beforehand,…
Dear Mary
Q. As an artist I’m indebted to my sponsor. I also like him, but not his habit of ringing me…
