Dear Mary
Dear Mary: is it OK to drop by to see a friend’s garden during the pandemic?
Q. I own a small, somewhat shabby and antiquated but well-located flat in central London which I have been happy…
Dear Mary: What is the etiquette about watching graphic sex scenes as a family?
Q. Please can you tell me the correct etiquette about signing the visitors book after you are married? Obviously you…
Dear Mary: What Zoom background will impress my boss?
Q. My goddaughter was getting married in July but due to Covid-19 this has been postponed. I had already chosen…
Dear Mary: Why don’t my neighbours appreciate my 8 p.m. Thursday firework?
Q. For me the hallmark of a really close friend is someone with whom you feel comfortable enough to bring…
Dear Mary: What do I say to the neighbour who comments on my daily exercise?
Q To your correspondent with a guest whose table manners offend (2 May), you suggest screening him off with a…
Dear Mary: How do I handle my lockdown guest’s lack of table manners?
Q. I am being driven to distraction by a touchy relation who has responded to the lockdown by WhatsApping me…
Dear Mary: How can I stop my friends spreading coronavirus conspiracy theories?
Q. Several of my friends and family members have moved on from dark thoughts concerning 9/11, the Kennedy assassination and…
Dear Mary: How do I get out of bossy chain emails?
Q. Each day while working from home, I have at least one hour-long meeting via Zoom. One of my colleagues…
Dear Mary: How can I self-isolate without people bothering me on Zoom?
Q. Caught in Switzerland as the ski resort shut down around my ears, and feeling like a walking health hazard,…
Dear Mary: How much should I pay my cleaner during the lockdown?
Q. Mary, what percentage of cleaners’ normal wages should we pay them when they can’t come in for the foreseeable…
Dear Mary: Can my marriage survive my husband working from home?
Q. Our son and his girlfriend have announced their engagement and we are delighted with his choice. Our problem is…
Dear Mary: How can I avoid being bored by my quarantine pasta diet?
Q. We recently welcomed an 18-year-old au pair into our young family, and I’m pleased that she has settled in…
Dear Mary: How can I stop my family scoffing our coronavirus chocolate stockpile?
Q. How can I stop a member of the household from glutting out on the chocolate supply I have stockpiled?…
Dear Mary: How can I foil a notorious place-swapper at my daughter’s wedding?
Q. I am arranging the seating plan for my daughter’s wedding and have a problem with one of her guests…
Dear Mary: Should I return my pod coffee maker on moral grounds?
Q. I adore doing jigsaws and these days there’s an added bonus — by posting my progress on Instagram I…
Dear Mary: Should I tell my friend that his expensive lunch made me ill?
Q. I see a lot of two of our grandchildren because they live in our London house. We are centrally…
Dear Mary: What is the etiquette about kissing during the coronavirus scare?
Q. I am having a drinks party to celebrate the publication of my latest book. I sent out invitations (to…
Dear Mary: As an actor, how do I cope with strangers who think they know me?
Q. I have hired a private room in a restaurant in order to give dinner to a large number of…
Dear Mary: How can I get my friend to shave off his hideous wispy moustache?
Q. An elderly cousin gave my husband and me a wedding present of two weeks in his villa in the…
Dear Mary: How can I stop my mother-in-law sitting on newspaper whenever she comes to my house?
Q. When my mother-in-law visits, she puts newspaper on a dining chair before sitting down. I’m so speechless that someone…
Dear Mary: How can I stop other diners eating my chips?
Q. My husband and I are committed Brexiteers. For many years we have regularly enjoyed friendly bridge evenings with a…
Dear Mary: How can I hang out with smokers at parties without freezing?
Q. As a young woman I tend not to wear that much to social events in the evening, but I…
Dear Mary, from Joan Collins: How do I stop fans asking for selfies in the powder room?
From Dame Joan CollinsQ. Invariably, when I escape to the ladies’ room or powder room or restroom (whatever the current…
Dear Mary: What can we do about our son’s girlfriend’s appalling table manners?
Q. My son has a girlfriend who we like but who has appalling table manners. They come to stay most…
Dear Mary: Why does my feminist friend always expect me to pay for dinner?
Q. One of my very best female friends has got into the habit of lecturing me on gender equality, in…
