‘I became a Zen Buddhist nun’
From childhood, Miranda Hodgson had been a staunch atheist, but when she began to practise yoga and meditation, her life took an unexpected turn
‘My mother was back. The lights were on’
Psychologist Oliver James reveals how a revolutionary new way of treating dementia brings amazing benefits for patients and carers alike - and it all comes down to three simple rules
Anti-natal
Zoe Williams: I like to believe I am the best person to watch over my baby, but every time he falls over it suggests otherwise
I couldn’t say the word ‘blind’
In the final year of her art degree, Julie Coakley lost her sight. It was the worst fate that could befall an artist
Carry on camping
Miranda Sawyer: Nice neighbours, naughty jokes and tea under the stars... camping is a holiday back to where our childhoods began
I’m obsessed with the number twelve
Experience: I have to have every single one of my possessions in immaculate and intricate order at all times
What to do with your loved one’s cremains
Leo Hickman: When you consider that there are about 420,000 cremations a year in the UK, you can see why the Environment Agency might weigh in with some guidelines
Losing hope
At seven year old, Andrew Bridge was taken from his mentally ill mother and sent to a notorious children's home in Los Angeles. This is his story of survival
In toy land, is there nothing about the sea that’s macho enough for boys to identify with apart from pirates?
Zoe Williams: T and I made our first substantial toy outlay this week, on some squirting pirates
Spell bound
When the Great Depression left architect Alfred Butts out of work, he scrabbled around for something to do - and came up with a game that is still a winner, 60 years on. And yet it nearly didn't see the light of day... Oliver Burkeman reports