A bunch of former pupils have been in the news lately—professors and men of learning, who have discovered overdue library books. Not just weeks or months or years, but more than half a decade late. It would be understandable if they slipped the book back into their library shelf.

A former student of Taunton School, in Somerset, UK, has returned a library book to his school 65 years after borrowing it. The 82 yr-old, came across the long-forgotten copy of Ashenden by W Somerset Maugham as he cleared out his shelves and spotted the stamp of his old school, which he had left in 1949. He did the decent thing and returned the book, paying his estimated dues of £1,500 at the same time to raise funds for the school. The director of the foundation was delighted to have the book back.

In another story, a university professor from Queen’s University Belfast’s Institute of Irish Studies has been spared a fine of more than £8,500 after discovering he was in possession of a library book that was 47 years overdue. He discovered the book by Victorian poet Arthur Hugh Clough, a contemporary of Robert Browning and Alfred Tennyson, when he returned to Vancouver to clear out his locker at the University of British Columbia where he had been based for a number of years. The due date stamp was for 11 October 1966. Queen’s said it was pleased to get the book back and would not be looking for Professor Foster to stump up the £8,577.50 fine.

In a third instance, a £900 fine for a 55-year overdue book was waived by Oxford City Library in July last year. The book on Regency furniture was borrowed in 1958, when the fee for overdue books was 2d a week.

And the most overdue of all: In Australia 2011, the Camden School of Arts lending library received a returned first edition of Charles Darwin’s Insectivorous Plants borrowed in 1889—122 years late. The fine, estimated to be £23,900 was waived. The precious book was among items donated to the University of Sydney.

I purchased an old atlas about 20 years ago from a local library in Bushy, Hertfordshire, all stamped and official, but I've never been overdue with a book. I think you would need to be in possession of a grand home and stable surroundings to overlook something so valuable.

What would you do if you found a book that hadn't been returned on time?

When I was younger (about 50 years ago) I occasionally used a dark pencil to outline my eyes and colored my lips. My skin itched if I covered it with some form of concealer, so I didn't bother. Okay, I was lucky to have been born with good skin and a glowing complexion, which has since been proved to come from eating fruit and vegetables.

A recent test has shown that nobody needs to bother with make-up.

Apparently, the features and you are born with determine attractiveness and there is not much you can do about it.

44 female undergraduates, aged between 18 and 21, were each photographed with and without their make-up. The shots were shown at random to another 62 male and female students who were asked to rate the women for attractiveness. The scale of one to seven, with one being very unattractive and seven being very attractive, was used. Each student saw either the before or after photograph but never both, so they could not compare two images of the same woman. That seems fair.

When the ratings were analyzed, the results showed make-up accounted for just two per cent variation in what or was not deemed attractive. The woman’s general attractiveness, features or identity was much more important, accounting for 69 per cent.

In other words, the variation in faces and attractiveness of a woman far overshadowed the application of make-up when it came to rating their looks. In other words, make-up makes no difference in the way others see you.

I haven't worn make-up for years. My dry lips require lip balm and I use moisturizer on my facial skin daily. Apart from a few tiny lines, my skin is still good, unlike many celebrities seen on television.

Why do these aging women paint their faces in the style they used half a century ago? And why does any beautiful woman resort to plastic surgery to maintain their youth? Aging faces are wonderful. Just think of Dame Judi Dench, Q in recent Bond films.

I look at male actors, who mostly show the face they were born with like Sean Connery and wonder why their female counterparts doll themselves up with a clown face and false eyelashes. Men and women are human beings who age with time. Both the sexes have faces, bodies and minds. 

I think it's about time for the females to use the sense they were born with and not allow themselves to be drawn into a false world of glamor. The inequality is startling, when you consider the way both the male and the female present themselves to the world.

Has this study changed the way you think about make-up?

When the US president and his wife paid their respects to the late King Abdullah two days ago, she didn't wear a headscarf during the brief visit although she wore a long dress with sleeves.

Her uncovered head caused consternation, and highlighted the restrictions placed on women in Saudi Arabia.

Women living in the ultra-conservative Kingdom, face severe restraints. They must cover their hair and wear loose black robes in public at all times, they are banned from driving, and must be accompanied by a male chaperone when they leave the house.


Other women and most men at the ceremony displayed their hair, so the trend wasn't about everyone showing respect in a certain way. What if a country's custom required women to wear goggles? Or walk barefooted? Should religious rules be imposed on visiting foreigners?

I agree that everyone should be free to worship the way they choose, or have conformed to for all their life, or even to shun all religion. To me, it speaks of a person's spiritual evolution. I prefer to follow a private communication with a Higher Power.

However, we shouldn't insist on every visitor deviating from their own custom or dress.

Fashion is a fleeting state of adornment. Trends come and go, and not everyone bothers to follow the herd.

US Presidents have visited Saudi Arabia 13 times since 1945. The photo shows President Nixon and his scarf-less wife in 1971. See the Washington Post article with pictures. 

Do you think 'rules is rules'? Or should we conform when visiting another country?

In the latest trend, manufacturers are using eco-friendly materials in vehicle construction. Food sources such as soy, peanut oil and even rice husks are used by some manufacturers, according to Auto Express.

Ford announced last year it was working with food giant Heinz to see if discarded dried tomato skins could be used to develop an alternative to petroleum-based plastic.

British sports car maker Lotus has experimented with body panels made from hemp fibers.

Toyota uses plant-based plastics in the Aygo model. Door trims, seat cushions, spare tire covers and boot liners are among the parts that the Japanese firm now makes with materials derived from natural sources, such as the castor oil plant.

But on the news today, one driver driver has claimed squirrels ‘ate’ his new Toyota. His car was singled out and repeatedly attacked by the rodents only days after it was delivered, and has been back for repairs four or five times.

‘The aerial’s been chewed off twice, the oxygen sensor’s been damaged and various rubber-like trim parts have been chewed and damaged,’ he told motoring magazine Auto Express.

The dealer paid for the repairs each time the customer returned the car, and eventually swapped it for another model.

In England, many motorists park their car on the street. Garage space is limited on our tiny island. My husband parks our car in a lay-by outside, close to a wild stand of trees. But hungry squirrels have shunned our old metal vehicle.

I like the idea of using natural materials for cars, but if rodents eat the product, sales will fall. I guess scientists need to work out how to remove the flavor.

Researchers have found that we should skip cold and headache remedies.

Canadian researchers say we spread more viral particles when taking painkillers for flu, and may suffer for longer, than if we battle on unmedicated.

One probability is that drugs lower fever and viruses find it harder to replicate at a body temperature over 37c. In other words, fever kills off the virus, so it's doing us good.

A professor from the University of Southampton, said,
'Ibuprofen suppresses inflammation, and it's possible it also suppresses an important part of the body's response to infection.'

Read more tips to show how a bit of discomfort in other areas will help your body stay fit in the long run. 


I learned from a co-worker in the hospitality business about the curative powers of garlic. At the first sign of a cold or flu, cut up two cloves into sizes that are easy to swallow. Do not chew or you'll have garlic breath. The lumps will dissolve in the stomach and the natural biotic will attack the cold/flu virus. Swallow one sectioned clove a day for the next two days. It works.

We're also advised to grin and bear a headache. Apparently, taking painkillers regularly can make the brain more sensitive to pain signals and actually trigger a condition called medication overuse headache.

More than 10 million people in the UK get headaches, making them one of the most common health complaints. And they haven't counted me because I never report the few headaches I suffer from.

Sourced from the NHS

Most headaches aren't serious and can be treated with pharmacy remedies and lifestyle changes, such as getting more rest and drinking enough fluids.

Headaches have many different causes but can generally be split into two types:

primary headaches – those not due to another underlying health problem

secondary headaches – which have a separate cause, such as illness

Tension headaches are the most common, and what we think of as normal everyday headaches.

They feel like a dull ache with constant pressure around the front, top and sides of the head as if a rubber band has been stretched around it.

Stress is one cause, but there are lots of others, including drinking too much alcohol, not getting enough sleep, depression, skipping meals and becoming dehydrated.

If a headache is recurrent and disabling to the point of stopping you from carrying on with daily life, it may be a migraine.

Secondary headaches that come on after drinking too much alcohol or after a head injury or concussion.

You may also get a headache when you've had: a cold,  flu, an allergic reaction, sinusitis.

But Some headaches are a side effect of taking a particular medication and frequent headaches can also be caused by taking too many painkillers.

Pain in the head is rare for me. However, when the dull ache becomes too difficult to take, I am inclined to resort to natural remedies first. My German co-writer and friend, Edith Parzefall sent me a packet of crystallized ginger to make up the weight in a box of books she'd signed. I really have to be at my wit's end to chew a few cubes. The ginger stings the mouth with so much pain that the headache dulls in significance.

How do you handle headache or colds?

After her beloved dog went missing, a UK woman cycled around the island of Anglesey, north Wales in a desperate attempt to find her beloved pet. The woman scoured the island for up to 12 hours a day. With no success, she went to the expense of hiring a private helicopter to search the largest expanse of sand dunes in Europe from above.

A Facebook group called Lost Dog Sylvia attracted more than 700 members all trying to help. Generous locals offered a caravan whilst she looked for her dog.

There's a tragic end to the story. The missing dog, a Japanese Shiba Inu, was found a week later, drowned a few miles from where she disappeared. Locals feared the dog may have tried to swim off the island to get home. Read the Daily Mail story here.

I've experienced the trauma and pain of losing a close member of the family who happened to have the body of a Siamese cat. We chose Simba from his litter of cute kittens. We gave him the recommended vitamins and minerals to build his healthy body before we moved away from Adelaide to a rural location in the fishing and tourist town, Robe, South Australia.

My husband, three children and I searched for our furry friend for days all around the area where we lived.

At first, we thought he might have joined tourists at the caravan park close by. Our inquiries did no good. Memories sprang to mind about the love he demonstrated. He would reach out with his mouth and gently clamp onto my ankle to express his love with deep blue eyes.

When we found him at last, he was close to home, lying in long grass stubble under a tree. He raised his head once, face sunken and close to death. I sent my love and empathy with my thoughts, feeling the strong contact we shared.

My husband rushed him to the closest vet—about half an hour away by car in the remote area. I waited, expecting the worst.

I was going to say this story had a happy ending and proclaim the vet's anti-venom worked after the deadly grass snake bite.

But, when I gave the event further thought, I couldn't remember ever seeing Simba again. I think he must have lived on in my memory for the last forty years.

The incredible bond between a person and an animal can reach across time and place. I hope the owner of the drowned dog will find the same peace.

UK government accounts show billions of pounds, owed in child maintenance, may never be recovered. The absent parents have been referred to the Child Support Agency.

How sad for the lone parent who must raise a child after their partner abandons them. I remember my childhood after my father left my mother.

More than a million single parents are owed money the CSA ruled they were entitled to. Some have been waiting years.

But the department has been dogged with problems. Computer systems failed, mistakes were made with assessments, and absent parents were not tracked down.

Although some debts are virtually noncollectable, the government said it was prioritizing cases where a child was still being brought up. They are not writing off or ignoring the old debt.

Good luck to the trackers.

In my own case, my father fell for a richer woman and he saw a chance to climb higher on the social ladder. The charming, well-spoken and intelligent man made his choice. At the time, I must have been seven and my sister would have been three.

Back in the 40s, a woman was shunned without a husband to support her. I remember her crying a lot, and also, after my father called in for some private time with her, she'd cry some more.

Later, she sent my sister and I to a child hostel and disappeared for a while. When we saw her again, it seemed like years later but must have been a few months. With her was my youngest sister. Bad goings on there. And he didn't give my mother the money she needed to feed us and pay the rent. Who would support us?

Handy with the sewing machine, she made clothes for friends, one of them a young starlet who played the young female second lead in South Pacific. As we grew older, Mother worked as a dental assistant part-time so she could be home for us after school.

After years of non-maintenance My father often took my two sisters and I to visit the house where he lived with his mother-in-law for the weekend. He'd arrive wearing a handmade silk shirt and a tailored suit and whisk us off in a car to the better part of Melbourne, Australia. I guess he thought he was doing his part.

By then, I was ten years, my sisters were six and three. I enjoyed our visits more than my sisters. After a while, my youngest sister refused to leave our mother.

I can't imagine her struggle to keep us fed, warm and secure. The young mothers of today must feel the same way, although I can't help thinking they might have better support. I learned afterward that my mother considered suicide before she gave birth to our sister. However, she was lucky to contact a kind woman who took her in with other mothers-to-be and saw them through their ordeal.

A ray of kindness shone in the darkness threatening to overwhelm my beautiful, vulnerable yet strong mother.

Despite what happened, I loved and respected both my parents. Every experience teaches us something. I learned self-reliance, and that I could do well without the benefit of a good background.

My hope is that the uncounted millions of children, raised without one parent, will learn to be good and kind.

When is an act cruel? That's what I'm struggling with. I did something so awful as a young woman that I worry over it still. The subject came to mind in a recent news about a disciplinary hearing from Ireland.

Police officers battered a badly injured deer with a crowbar. But they will not be sacked despite being found guilty of gross misconduct.

Originally, they were sent to look at the injured deer. However, the animal managed to stand up. After contacting an animal welfare expert, they were advised them to leave the deer alone.

After receiving another report two days later, they were sent to look at the same deer and found its condition had deteriorated significantly. They believed the animal to be already dead, having showing no signs of movement. And yet one of the two men hit the animal several times.

If the deer was dead, why did they bash it? That seems senseless unless they wanted the satisfaction of brutality. In my opinion, they wanted to end the animal's suffering and gave a false statement.

The panel "accepted evidence that the animal was fatally ill, would not have survived and that without action the animal would have suffered unnecessarily".

The court found heir actions "were not borne from cruelty", but said the deer should have been killed with a firearm.

The officers, who will remain on a final written warning for 18 months, were moved to a response unit in the force following the incident, where they will remain. See The Telegraph story.

But, if the animal was near to death, why didn't they leave nature to take its course?

My own action as a young woman could have been just as bad. What happened in the mid sixties remains clear to me, yet I know I should have left the creature to the fate it faced.

On a warm afternoon in South Australia, I stepped outside into our back garden dressed in a mini skirt and sandaled feet.

Our cat, Simba, an otherwise adorable Siamese, had brought home a live field-mouse rather than a limp body. And, as cats do, he threw his prey into the air, caught it several times, and then held the motionless mouse under his paw. I called out, hoping to stop the game. However, Simba lifted his paw, allowed the mouse to run, and then pounced again. Over and over. My yelling did no good. The mouse staggered and ran sideways, bleeding from the neck, obviously injured. How long would the mouse need to suffer?

I can't remember if I tried to grab the wily cat. That's what I should have done. But the poor mouse would not have recovered.

Whimpering with pity for the tiny creature, I looked around for some way to help—to stop its pain. The flimsy stick I found did no good to end it's misery. But, I didn't strike hard enough and the mouse staggered a few more steps. May God forgive me, I landed several more desperate blows until it lay motionless, wishing I'd never started on the course of action that could only end one way.

Weighed down with guilt and the horror of my actions, I sobbed.

I'd made the whole situation worse for the mouse. If only I'd left the animals to their fate. The cat couldn't be blamed for behaving in a natural manner, the mouse hadn't asked for help. The only guilty one was me.

I learned several lessons that day. Number one: I was flawed just like every human. Number two: Each creature is precious. Number three: Don't start a course of action unless you plan to finish. I only hope the Great Judge will issue a lenient sentence to me.

Yesterday, my husband attended a routine hospital appointment to discuss his progress and treatment for cancer. In England, the National Health Service takes care of all residents.

~Here's what the NHS website says: Your admission to hospital will depend on the type of procedure or care you will be receiving. You can attend as an outpatient, or be admitted as a day patient or an inpatient. It is a good idea to organise for a friend or relative to take you to hospital and pick you up again when you are discharged. Parking at a hospital can be expensive.~

My husband prepared his strategy well in advance. Our wonderful neighbor offered to drive him to hospital and wait with him. We're blessed to know such a generous man.

The day before, hubby dropped a letter into the department he would visit, outlining all his treatments so far and how they affected him. This turned out to be well timed. The specialist wasn't aware of many of his points. One of the things that frustrates hubby is the lack of coordination between hospital departments and his general practice doctors.

His dressing plan had me chuckling. At 76, he wore a beautiful tailored suit in dark olive, with hand stitching on the lapel. At the neck, a gray-and-pink striped tie set off a fresh white shirt. Okay, the collar hung loose, but that was a good thing, right? The tie didn't choke him.

I took one look at him and said, “Hello, handsome.” Did he stand a little taller? Did he hold his head up with pride?

“Well,” he said. “I plan to show them I'm worth saving. I don't want to sit around in a sloppy outfit.”

This made me think. His effort showed the mindset of a man determined to beat the sentence hanging over him. He might not be able to change the system, but he could make a stand.

And so, in this case, 'Clothes maketh the man.'

It's so good to see a person who has made an effort with their appearance. I don't mean women wearing make-up, like actresses in a play. The real effort is to make the best of the way you were created. We are not born equal. Some are short, tall, thick-boned, slender. Hair, eyes, and skin colors vary, and so does fitness. There will always be others better. Taking that into consideration, don't slouch. Hold yourself straight and proud. Take delight in your age, no matter what stage you've reached in the great platform of life.

Excerpt from Shakespeare's Hamlet:

'Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man,'

Have you given up on exercise? Due to the mounting evidence that inactivity is linked to heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer, experts advise everyone to take more exercise. This can take any form you are capable of. Young adults can walk to the shop instead of driving, or even run. For those of us who are older, activity is the key. We might not all have access to a beach for a daily walk, more's the pity, but we can venture outside and stroll in the open air, wherever we live.

UK guidelines for adults recommend at least two-and-a-half hours of moderate activity a week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more.

But in two separate articles in the British Medical Journal, experts argue the message needs to change. Greater emphasis should be put on making inactive people move more. Make small increases in activity levels, rather than pushing to achieve unobtainable goals.

Previous studies show short periods of walking or just 20 minutes of vigorous activity a few times a month can reduce the risk of death, compared to people who do no exercise.

Older people can do things like occasional window shopping or standing up during television commercial breaks. I notice increased stiffness when I've been sitting for a couple of hours. See the full BBC article. 

Just one out of four people between the ages of 65 and 74 exercises regularly. Never assume you're too out-of-shape, or sick, or tired, or just plain old to exercise. An expert claims physical exertion is almost always good for people of any age. Exercise can help make you stronger, prevent bone loss, improve balance and coordination, lift your mood, boost your memory, and ease the symptoms of many chronic conditions. A strong, agile person be less likely to need help. We all want independence.

I start my day with bending and stretching exercises. Then, while I'm sipping a hot drink, I do facial back and arm exercises before half an hour of meditation. Set up for the day, I dress and begin researching the latest news looking for a topic I can talk about. 

This pep talk has done me the world of good. From now on, I'm going to stand up during each break in a television program. How about you?