I heard it through the grapevine: everything you need to know about growing grapes

Life and style | The Guardian

Vines are a beautiful addition to an edible garden, yet will only thrive with plenty of light and shelter

My garden faces east-ish and gets a decent amount of sunlight, but it’s fairly exposed and can be cool, so plants that need really warm weather don’t like to grow here. Yet, there’s a corner by the back door that’s a pocket of sun and shelter, and a wise former occupant decided to plant a grapevine there. If I hadn’t inherited this mature grapevine, I can’t imagine I would have thought to plant one, but if you’ve got the right conditions they’re a lovely addition to an edible garden.

First you have to choose whether you want to grow wine grapes or dessert grapes. Wine grapes are smaller and less palatable – but hardier – than dessert grapes, which generally need to be grown in a sturdy greenhouse in order to fully ripen. Grapevines can be sourced from plant sellers and garden centres, and most will have been grafted – so make sure to choose a vine that is best suited to your soil type and local climate.

September 11th 2026, 6:28 am

‘She changed the beauty industry’: how Charlotte Mensah brought black hair into the spotlight

Life and style | The Guardian

A new exhibition in London celebrates the influential hairstylist whose clients include Janelle Monáe and Zadie Smith. She explains her story – and why she’s on a mission to ensure stylists are trained to work with all hair types

When Charlotte Mensah was a young child growing up in Accra, Ghana in the 1970s, she would spend hours watching her aunties having their hair intricately threaded, an ancient African technique where hair is wrapped tightly using yarn or thread. She didn’t know then that she would go on to become one of the most influential hairdressers in the UK. Renowned for championing natural black hair textures in mainstream culture, she has worked as hairstylist to singers Janelle Monáe and Erykah Badu, and the writer Zadie Smith.

According to Smith, in an essay she penned about Mensah’s magic earlier this year: “Charlotte can make a great mane of braids appear where previously there were only split ends and hair loss.”

September 11th 2026, 6:28 am

Want Mr Whippy on tap? I put the viral Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl ice-cream maker to the test

Life and style | The Guardian

Whether it’s soft serve or sorbet, gelato or fro-yo, the Ninja Creami Scoop and Swirl is a faff-free way of making all your favourite frozen treats

• The best ice-cream makers for your home

For me, ice-cream isn’t only for summer. It’s my dessert of choice all year round, and a good ice-cream maker ensures it’s always readily available. When I put more than a dozen models through their paces earlier this year, one thing became clear: the most important feature in any machine is ease of use.

On that front, the Ninja Creami really scored highly for me. I’ve used the original NC300 model for a few years, and I like its simplicity and that it’s easy to clean. Nowadays, though, we expect our appliances to do a little more – and when it comes to ice-cream, the current craze is soft serve.

September 11th 2026, 5:45 am

Experience: I’ve visited every motorway service station in Britain

Life and style | The Guardian

Some people don’t understand my lifelong enthusiasm for roadside stop-offs – now visiting and cataloguing them is what I do for a living

When I was 10 years old, the highlight of my summer holidays was going to work with my dad, who is a lorry driver. For a couple of years in the mid-2000s, I’d excitedly climb into the cab next to him and we’d set off on a 10-hour trip. My job was to follow the AA Road Atlas, and I’d joyfully track the services marked on the map as we thundered along.

My dad thought stopping was a waste of time, but his designated rest stops were my favourite part of the trip. Depending on the journey, we might stop for two or three meals. I always hoped at least one would be at a Little Chef. I loved their Olympic Breakfast, a massive full English, and every meal was rounded off with a lollipop – what more could a 10-year-old want?

September 11th 2026, 3:13 am

‘I’ve got more of a sense of humour than Ralph Lauren’ – nine things we learned from Paul Smith’s ne

Life and style | The Guardian

He put personality into boxers, collaborated with the pope (sort of) and is to thank for novelty socks. The British designer’s new book reveals there’s more to Smith than his stripes

In July, the British designer Paul Smith celebrated his 80th birthday and he has now released a memoir to mark the occasion. Threads: My Life in Style tells Smith’s story, from growing up in Nottingham and leaving school with no qualifications to selling suits to celebs, including Gary Oldman and David Bowie.

Here are nine of our favourite lesser-known takeaways from the book.

September 11th 2026, 3:13 am

The age of tiramisu: a runaway dessert trend – and what it reveals about nostalgia and decadence

Life and style | The Guardian

The coffee and cream pudding has always been popular. But now it’s inspired a dedicated cafe and countless products, from drinks to ice-creams to buns. What’s behind this big cultural craving?

When Giancarlo Fanigliulo opened Marrone, a cafe dedicated to tiramisu in London’s Soho in August, he hadn’t anticipated he would sell out within two and a half hours. “I was expecting a buzz, but I wasn’t expecting queues around the corner,” he tells me. “It was insane.”

This kind of excitement about the Italian dessert is not a one-off – we are, it seems, living in an age of tiramisu-mania. Nearly all of the high street coffee chains have offered some kind of tiramisu coffee as a seasonal special (in the US, Dunkin’ currently has four different tiramisu-flavoured drinks on its menu). Meanwhile, Haagen-Dazs and Carte D’or now sell tiramisu ice-cream, London chain Buns from Home offers a tiramisu-flavoured croissant-dough bun and social media is awash with tiramisu recipes and videos of “tiramisu drawers” – trays of the dessert ready to serve out of drawers in chefs’ kitchens – as popularised by the viral one at Manchester pasta restaurant Onda.

September 11th 2026, 3:13 am

A scientist said bananas ‘kill’ the benefit of blueberries. Is that true?

Life and style | The Guardian

Can blending these popular fruits in a smoothie adversely affect the berries’ nutritional benefits? Experts weigh in

This year was shaping up to be a banner year for bananas: they were lauded as “2026’s big viral taste”, landed pride of place as Prada’s new lip balm flavor, and were even deemed “the next pumpkin spice”.

But this summer, the Mel Robbins Podcast featured Dr Rhonda Patrick, a biomedical scientist, who said that adding banana to a blueberry smoothie could adversely affect the nutritional benefits of the berries.

September 10th 2026, 1:42 pm

My mother-in-law buys overly girly clothes for my daughter. I try to be gracious but it kills me – d

Life and style | The Guardian

There’s a risk in trying to get our girls away from frilly skirts that we swing all the way to a different kind of enforcement, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith

Read more Leading questions

I am the mother of a six-year-old girl, and I have relatively progressive views about gender. Among other things, I try to give my daughter a choice of clothes that are practical – T-shirts, leggings – and that tend to be unisex in colour scheme. There are no overly fussy and frilly skirts and dresses in pink and sparkles in her wardrobe. As much as possible, I try to buy non-sweatshop brands. These choices are part of a world system of values I want to show my daughter – that being a “girl” is so much more than just wearing a frilly dress; that we can have well-made things without contributing to the suffering of others.

My mother-in-law, on the other hand, loves buying these sorts of clothes for my daughter (her granddaughter). She is a kind and caring woman, and this is one of her love languages. These clothes are often gauche, overly feminine, expensive and poorly made.

September 10th 2026, 1:42 pm

How to choose the perfect wine for aperitivo hour

Life and style | The Guardian

Whether you go for traditional champagne or sherry, or branch out with muscadet and picpoul, an appetite-whetting glass of wine will set you up for the evening ahead

Beginnings are important. As a writer, I’m all too aware of this: from the right introduction, the rest tends to flow. The same logic applies to drinks: a good beginning eases proceedings. For this reason, I am unbendingly particular about how I take my morning coffee and, if I’m drinking, what form an evening’s aperitif should take. Life’s too short for bad beverages, after all.

An aperitif is arguably less a specific drink than an appetite-whetting moment with a glass of something. But what? Typically, when it comes to wine, an aperitif will be light and crisp, with any fruit character at the more green or citrussy end of the spectrum. Brioche-y sparkling wine, be that champagne, crémant or something English, and dry sherry such as fino and manzanilla, with their savoury notes, are traditional choices to ready your palate for food.

September 10th 2026, 10:27 am

How I Shop with Laura Jackson: ‘Once you have a water filter, you can’t go back’

Life and style | The Guardian

Always wondered what everyday stuff celebrities buy, where they shop for food, and the basic they scrimp on? The creative director talks 80s knitwear, joyful knickers and a love of Boots with the Filter

• How I Shop with Millie Mackintosh

Laura Jackson is a creative director and broadcaster who works across design, food and culture. She co-founded the homewares website Glassette in 2021 and later founded the skincare brand Rocco. Her broadcasting career spans television, radio and digital.

Jackson launched a collection with British jewellery brand Astley Clarke in September 2026, featuring gemstones, celestial motifs and tarot symbolism.

September 10th 2026, 6:13 am

‘People waited 24 hours for a potato!’: how viral queues help – and harm – restaurants

Life and style | The Guardian

It has become common for people to wait in long lines for cafes, bakeries and ice-cream shops. But why? And what do the owners think?

At 9.45am on a warm Saturday in September, a queue snakes down the pavement in Notting Hill, west London. Stretching for 20 yards past office blocks, estate agents and cafes, the line is waiting peacefully for an unusual morning snack: frozen yoghurt. The purveyor is the dessert shop Yo-Chi, which opened only a fortnight ago, one of the many hospitality businesses making queueing an increasingly common part of the British dining experience.

“We wait in line for everything now,” says 23-year-old Hannan Mahamud as she stands midway down the queue with three friends. “I queued for an hour the other week for a cookie, although it wasn’t worth it. We heard about Yo-Chi through a creator on TikTok who works in an office building across the road and posts queue updates. We thought it might be a fun day out.”

September 10th 2026, 6:13 am

‘Scots are the kindest people on earth!’ Meet the Americans moving to Scotland

Life and style | The Guardian

Since Donald Trump’s re-election in 2024, there has been a 63% rise in Americans renting properties in Scotland. Politics is one reason – but there are many other surprising motivations …

Four years ago, when Tammi Gaw, a 50-year-old property adviser, moved from Washington DC to Glasgow with her Scottish partner, friends and family laughed at her. “People back home kept asking me: ‘Ha ha, why would you want to move to Scotland, where it rains all the time?’ Now those same people are asking me: ‘Hey, how do I move there?’”

They are not alone. According to data from Rightmove, 28% of inquiries from Americans about buying a home in the UK are about Scotland, a larger number than for London. And a recent survey from lettings platform Goodlord reported a 63% rise in the number of Americans renting properties in Scotland since Donald Trump’s re-election in November 2024.

September 10th 2026, 3:55 am

The death of the dining room: how mealtimes moved to the kitchen – or the sofa

Life and style | The Guardian

The idea of a room that you use only occasionally for sit-down meals has gone out of fashion. Now people have found better ways to use the space

Name: Dining rooms.

Age: Ancient Romans took meals in a room called a triclinium.

September 10th 2026, 3:55 am

Thursday news quiz: A German shock, tapes that rock, Truss is back but Monty’s gone

Life and style | The Guardian

Test yourself on topical news trivia, pop culture and general knowledge every Thursday. How will you fare?

Every now and then the Thursday quiz stares broodingly out of a rain-streaked window, adopts an immaculate cheekbone-highlighting pose and hums a bit of David Sylvian. The sun shines high above, the “birbs” swoop down upon the crosses of old grey churches, and September is here again. Fifteen questions on topical news, general knowledge and obscure trivia await you. Let us know how you get on in the comments. Allons-y!

The Thursday news quiz, No 264

September 10th 2026, 3:55 am

‘I’m sick of her talking about it’: 11 readers share how GLP-1s have affected their relationships

Life and style | The Guardian

As weight loss drugs have risen all around the world, it has reshaped users’ relationships for better and for worse

As GLP-1 use continues to rise in the US and the UK, people’s bodies are being reshaped – as are their relationships.

“Relationships tend to develop a sense of equilibrium and predictability over time,” says Dr Lindsey Berisha, a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked with clients using GLP-1s for over 10 years. “When one partner undergoes a significant change, it can shift that equilibrium, and even positive change can create uncertainty for both partners.”

September 10th 2026, 3:55 am

You be the judge: should my son finish bottles and packets before opening new ones?

Life and style | The Guardian

Jasper stands accused of being wasteful but feels aggrieved that Mindy says he’s being lazy. Is this a race to the bottom? You decide

• Find out how to get a disagreement settled or become a juror

Opening new products when old ones aren’t empty is wasteful – and he does it to avoid cleaning up

September 10th 2026, 3:55 am

Make tracks: 8 of the UK’s best walking and cycling trails on former railway lines

Life and style | The Guardian

Repurposed railway lines make accessible and family-friendly walking and cycling routes. Here are some of the best, from Somerset to the Highlands of Scotland

Start/finish Coombs Road in Bakewell to Blackwell Mill in Chee Dale, but there are lots of access points along the way
Distance 8.5 miles
Cycle, hike or ride a horse along the Monsal Trail to explore a swathe of Derbyshire’s industrial history. This former stretch of the Midland Railway line winds past the imposing structures of two 18th-century cotton mills, through illuminated railway tunnels and over the Headstone Viaduct, which gives glorious views of the River Wye and Monsal Dale below. Interpretation and listening panels along the route explain the area’s history, geology and wildlife, while a short detour on to Monsal Head offers a panoramic view of the viaduct itself. Pause here for lunch or a pint at the Monsal, or stop in at Hassop Station Cafe, which offers bike rental alongside hefty sandwiches, homemade cakes and wood-fired pizza at weekends.
monsaltrail.org.uk

September 10th 2026, 3:55 am

Hurrah, lie-ins may be good for us – if only I can convince my five-year-old daughter | Arwa Mahdawi

Life and style | The Guardian

CEOs may like to get up at the crack of dawn and go for a run, but I prefer optimising my life with lie-ins, trashy films, swearing and coffee

This evening I’m going to tuck my five-year-old into bed and read her a chapter from one of her princess books, followed by a summary of research recently presented at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology. Once upon a time, I’ll tell her, there was a scientist called Dr Nawon Lee who authored a study that found having a weekend lie-in may be very good for you and can protect against high blood pressure. Our accomplished protagonist Dr Lee said: “People should not feel lazy or guilty for sleeping a little longer on the weekend.” And the moral of this story, dear child, is that you should try not to wake your mothers up at 6am every day.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure that all the peer-reviewed science in the world will convince my early riser to have a weekend lie-in. Still, as a big fan of sleep and someone who has never once felt guilty for hitting the snooze button, I have to say I feel vindicated by this new study. CEOs can get up at 4am and run 10 miles before eating five foraged mushrooms if they want to, but I’m going to protect my heart health by sleeping in, any opportunity I can get, thank you very much.

September 9th 2026, 9:54 am

‘Dress good to run fast’: How Black athletes became style icons

Life and style | The Guardian

From Naomi Osaka’s NBA-inspired entrance to Dennis Rodman’s punk aesthetic, Black sportspeople have long used fashion to express identity, defiance and joy

When Long Wave lead writer Nesrine Malik asked me if I’d seen Japanese-Haitian tennis star Naomi Osaka’s incredible pre-match look, I began to wax lyrical about the kimono she donned at Wimbledon a couple of months ago. No, not that look – Nesrine was talking about the NBA-inspired hoodie she wore at the US Open, taking to the court head bowed and hands in pockets, with the theatre of a WWE wrestler. By the time I sat down to write, Osaka had worn another viral walk-on outfit.

The star isn’t the first to acquire as many headlines for her clothes as for her performance. Osaka draws on a long tradition of Black athletes giving crowds their money’s worth through playful and provocative fashion statements. I delved into the history of why so many Black communities have a culture of “presenting”, and how defiance through fashion has found a natural home in sport.

September 9th 2026, 9:09 am

How to turn corn cobs into a delicious chowder – recipe | Waste not

Life and style | The Guardian

A simple, stripped-back soup that lets the freshest, sweetest corn and fluffy, floury potatoes do all the work

Today’s super-simple corn chowder is inspired by one I came across on NewEngland.com that relies on an old zero-waste trick; namely, scraping the spent cobs to release the pulp and sweetcorn “milk” still left on the cob. Like asparagus, corn is best eaten as fresh as can be, so look for whole ears with bright green husks. Keep in the fridge and, for the most flavourful soup, aim to cook them the same day.

September 9th 2026, 9:09 am

Sali Hughes on beauty: the hero products that kept me cool in the long hot summer of 2026

Life and style | The Guardian

From face tints and self-tan to summer scents, these lightweight buys saw me through multiple heatwaves

You’ll normally find me looking back on my favourite products of the past 12 months at year’s end. But this summer has been so freakishly hot and sweaty it has required its own toolkit and, by extension, its own list of exceptionally well-performing products that deserve rapturous commendation.

The first is Refy’s Skin Base (£30), a sheer face tint so thin and so lightweight it has been all I could bear to wear since July. It’s suitable for all skin types, but not at all appropriate for those who hate any hint of shine. While the texture is totally ungreasy, breathable and so comfortable as to be imperceptible, it does look unmistakably dewy, so avoid if you’re devoted to matte. Personally, I take the view that, in this heat, one might as well steer into the skid, but I am, admittedly, at an age when a juicier look works in my skin’s favour. Anyway, this is makeup that truly feels like absolutely nothing, and what it lacks in coverage can be made up with concealer where needed. Maximum points from me (I wear shade 140N).

September 9th 2026, 7:52 am

A moment that changed me: I spent a day with some naturists – and it cured my shy bladder

Life and style | The Guardian

For decades, I had been haunted by paruresis, an inability to urinate in public toilets. But that day of nakedness suddenly, surprisingly, led me to shed my inhibitions

For as long as I can remember, I’ve suffered from a condition called paruresis – also known as shy bladder syndrome. This means that, unless I’m alone in public toilets, I cannot pee, however badly I need to go. I developed tactics to deal with this, such as loitering outside the gents if I see someone going in, so that I can walk in as they walk out. But if someone follows me in, I find I’m just standing there, which I worry looks odd.

I’m a writer, so am often out and about meeting people in cafes, hotels and at events. My agricultural background means I also meet a lot of my interviewees on farms – but at least there I could pop behind a hedge if I needed to go, and be assured of privacy.

September 9th 2026, 4:53 am

Gladys the giant pumpkin: is this the biggest fruit in the world?

Life and style | The Guardian

At one stage, on its way to becoming a smashing success, this plucky pumpkin was packing on 40lb a day

Name: Gladys.

Age: Gladys was germinated on 19 April and pollinated on 30 June.

September 9th 2026, 4:53 am

The rise of hairy young women: ‘I know people who dye their armpit hair, so it stands out more’

Life and style | The Guardian

When Phoebe Bridgers appeared at Venice international film festival with unshaven legs this weekend, it shouldn’t have made headlines – but did. What do young women make of the current expectations around depilation?

In 2026, female body hair feels as if it should be the least of anyone’s concerns. But although we may think we’ve come a long way since Julia Roberts’ unshaven underarm caused a furore at the 1999 London premiere of Notting Hill, depilation remains a staple of many women’s grooming routines – and when singer turned actor Phoebe Bridgers made her Venice film festival debut last weekend, her unshaven legs still made headlines.

Even so, her au naturel look may signal that attitudes are changing – particularly among younger generations. Vogue decreed that “rather than undermining the femininity of the look, unapologetic hair sharpened it”, and pictures of the 32-year-old’s hair-covered calves were generally praised by fans. But what do other gen Z and millennial women make of the decision to ditch the razor?

September 9th 2026, 4:53 am

The Filter Q&A: ask sexual culture and wellbeing expert Alix Fox a question

Life and style | The Guardian

Do you have a question about how to have a healthier, happier, hornier love life? Alix Fox answers your questions live today at 1pm BST (9am EDT).

Login or sign up here to post a question

A good sex life is key to a good life. Want to know how to improve yours, whether that’s practical advice on how to broach the subject of trying something new (and what to do if your partner reacts poorly); how to become more confident at talking dirty or giving constructive in-the-sack feedback; or even how to be intimate with your partner when you’re just plain knackered?

No question is too niche or too embarrassing, too mild or too wild – from how to give great massages and tried-and-tested toys to spend your money on; to how to keep sex comfortable and fun after medical challenges and life changes.

September 9th 2026, 4:53 am

I climbed into the car with three friends. I woke in hospital to find I’d lost them all – and my leg

Life and style | The Guardian

Rob Pike was 17 when he and three of his closest friends were in a car that smashed into a tree and split in half. He explains how he coped with the devastation

After the car stopped rolling and came to rest on its side, Rob Pike remembers being “hyperfixated” on the rainwater pouring down his face. When he tried to wipe it away with his arm, he realised it wasn’t water. “I look at my arm and it is covered in blood. The next moment, it hit me: oh my gosh, we crashed.”

He was in the back seat next to his best friend, Daniel McCoy. “I look up to my left to see if Daniel’s OK. He’s probably about a foot away from my face and … he’s not OK. I’m looking at my dead best friend and I wish that wasn’t my last memory of him, seeing how broken he was.” They were 17.

September 9th 2026, 4:53 am

The best beauty Advent calendars in 2026, tested – yes, we know it’s early!

Life and style | The Guardian

Christmas might be months away, but beauty Advent calendar waiting lists are filling up fast. From cult favourites to cruelty-free picks, here are the ones worth buying

• Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here

As I write, an ice-cream van has just parked outside my flat. It’s the middle of this year’s umpteenth heatwave, and I’m finally understanding the appeal of a cold shower. That can only mean one thing: it’s time to start testing the best beauty Advent calendars.

I wish I was joking, but many beauty brands and retailers have been curating their 2026 beauty Advent calendars since before last Christmas. And since these calendars offer a selection of high-end cosmetics, bestselling beauty staples and new launches at far less than their usual combined price, they’ve become a festive staple for beauty fanatics.

September 8th 2026, 10:41 am

Why bother deseeding tomatoes? | Kitchen aide

Life and style | The Guardian

It all depends on the variety of tomato and the dish you’re making, says our panel of experts

Why do recipes often say to deseed tomatoes? Isn’t that where the flavour is, especially since the seeds don’t make much difference to a sauce’s texture?
Catriona, by email
“It all depends on the variety of tomato,” says the Guardian’s Rachel Roddy, “because some are much seedier than others. Sicilian varieties that require little watering, for example, have loads of little bitter seeds, which do need flicking or sieving out.” If, however, Catriona had some vesuvio tomatoes destined for a salad, Jay Patel, co-owner of Italian restaurant Legare in London, wouldn’t bother: “Those are generally pretty meaty and don’t have many seeds, so I’d just slice and dress them generously with olive oil and salt, and you’ll have something pretty special.” And that’s the crux of the matter: as well as the type of tomato, the answer hinges on what you’re planning to do with them, too. “If you’re making a salad with watery winter tomatoes, say, there’s a purpose for those seeds,” Patel adds, “because they provide a lovely pop as well as acidity.”

The most common deseeding scenario is for pasta sauces, but even that comes with a caveat, Patel says: “If I’m going for a slow-cooked sauce, it’s tinned chopped tomatoes, seeds and all. But if I’m after a lighter, fresher tomato sauce, I’ll quickly blanch, peel and deseed fresh tomatoes myself.” Nick Molyviatis of Zylia in London, meanwhile, scoops out the seeds with a teaspoon or he grates his tomatoes instead – “the skin acts as a protector, a glove” – while Roddy’s “best defence against seeds” is a food mill: “Seeds don’t contain flavour as such, but the fleshy gel around them does, which is why a food mill is great,” she explains. “It presses the flavour from that and the skin, while at the same time separating them from the sauce base.”

Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com

September 8th 2026, 9:26 am

Houseplant hacks: can white vinegar or lemon juice clean leaves?

Life and style | The Guardian

Dust and hard water can leave deposits that slow photosynthesis, but don’t believe everything you read about using acids to remove them

The problem
Dusty leaves are more than a cosmetic problem. A film of dust blocks light, which slows photosynthesis and dulls the plant. Hard water makes it worse, leaving chalky white mineral spots on the foliage that a damp cloth simply smears around.

The hack
The acids in white vinegar, or lemon juice, dissolve the mineral salts left behind by hard water – just wipe a very diluted solution over the leaves with a microfibre cloth.

September 8th 2026, 7:43 am

The pest I’ll never forget: the cockroaches were everywhere – even on our wine glasses

Life and style | The Guardian

In a cheap London flat with no heating, dozens of the insects swarmed, leading to a Valentine’s Day that still makes me break out in a cold sweat

I don’t know if cockroaches really could, as we’re often told, survive a nuclear apocalypse, but I can tell you this with certainty: they can definitely survive pest control. “Hopefully that should be a bit better now,” said the friendly exterminator after his first visit to our flat. By the third visit he was speaking more honestly. “The only way to get rid of your cockroaches,” he said, “would be to burn this whole block of flats to the ground.”

It was January 2003 when I moved with my girlfriend Helen into our first London flat. It’s fair to say there were red flags we probably should have spotted. It was suspiciously affordable – £140 a week for a place less than a minute’s walk from Finsbury Park tube station? Sure, the place looked pretty skanky, but it was still spacious for a studio flat. We put the price down to the fact there was absolutely no way of heating the property and signed up.

September 8th 2026, 3:24 am

The death of ‘hello’: how gen Z – and scammers – put paid to the greeting

Life and style | The Guardian

If you’re called by an unidentified number, the advice is to remain silent until you’re sure there’s a human being on the line. Is this the end of an era?

Name: Hello.

Age: 200 years old.

September 7th 2026, 10:36 am

September is the real new year: 39 brilliant buys to supercharge school, work and everything in betw

Life and style | The Guardian

From loafers to lunch boxes to fancy stationery, these picks for kids, teens and grownups will bring that new-term energy, whatever your age

• Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here

Shiny shoes. Freshly sharpened pencils. New rucksack. Back-to-school season is here, and even for those of us no longer in full-time education, the energy of this time of year is undeniably one of fresh starts and renewed momentum.

A couple of well-chosen items, from a notebook to inspire ideas to a lunch box that might encourage you to bring in your own food, are often all it takes to feel a touch more pulled together after a languorous summer. So whether you’re looking for school kit or your own stuff, here’s our pick of the best back-to-the-grind products for kids, teens and grownups.

September 7th 2026, 10:24 am

Seven ways to fix your fragmented focus – from doodling to deep work

Life and style | The Guardian

With infinite distractions on offer thanks to screens and smartphones, many of us struggle to focus. But these psychologist-backed strategies could help to clear your mind

In some ways, it’s never been easier to strike a healthy work-life balance. Many of us can split our time between the home and office, switching out the morning commute for a workout and creating more time for family and friends. And yet, we’re finding it increasingly hard to stay focused on our work when we’re at our desks. Several tabs open, scrolling instead of researching and comparing our lives with those of strangers online before remembering we’re meant to be on a Zoom call.

“So many of us struggle to focus now because of the stimulation, pace and volume of information, communication and decision-making in modern life,” says Suzy Reading, a chartered psychologist and the author of How to Be Selfish. “The evolution of the human body can’t keep pace with the evolution of technology and the impact that has on our attentional demands.”

September 7th 2026, 10:24 am

The Gymnastics Academy changed my prepaid booking but said ‘no’ to a refund

Life and style | The Guardian

I arranged for my daughter to attend three sessions during the school holidays but the venue and one of the dates were changed

I booked my daughter for three sessions during the school summer holidays at The Gymnastics Academy. The reservation was made and paid for last November because of a promotional offer.

In June, I received emails from The Gymnastics Academy, confirming a session for a venue I had not booked. I was concerned my account had been hacked.

September 7th 2026, 7:23 am

The pet I’ll never forget: Harold, the halls of residence cat, who looked after me when I first left

Life and style | The Guardian

He was the gorgeous furry tabby who made my day, even when he waltzed into my flat just to finish my takeaway. Now he’s a campus celeb, with a part-time job guarding the doors of the village shop

In 2022, when I moved into halls of residence at the University of Sheffield, my biggest concern was no longer having a furry friend to come home to, as I’d had a cat since I was 11 years old. Then I met Harold.

My first encounter with this gorgeous tabby was quite unusual. One day, in our 10-bed flat, a flurry of messages appeared on the group WhatsApp chat after my fellow roommates caught an intruder on the sofa, innocently munching on my leftover pizza.

September 7th 2026, 7:23 am

Heading to uni? Students share what’s worth packing – and what to leave at home

Life and style | The Guardian

From space-saving storage to an affordable toastie maker, here’s how to set yourself up in halls without blowing the budget

• Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here

Clothes packed? Laptop at the ready? Flip Cup skills honed? As freshers’ week beckons, thousands of students are preparing for life away from home. But what do you actually need to bring with you, besides an eager mind and a broad tolerance of Jägermeister?

We’re here to help. Because student debt is big enough without spending on stuff you don’t need, we quizzed veterans (well, second- and third-year students) on what is and isn’t worth packing. We’ve also rounded up some of our best budget buys – from mattress toppers to toastie makers – rigorously tested by the Filter experts. These won’t break the bank and should last far beyond your first essay deadline.

September 7th 2026, 7:23 am

‘Work hard – nobody cares how good you used to be’: Paul Smith at 80 on love, fun and his fabulous l

Life and style | The Guardian

With the release of his new biography, the British designer talks about leaving school at 15, the real reason he won’t retire and why no one wears velvet trousers any more

Go for a browse in the Paul Smith shop in Mayfair, London, on any given Saturday and you’ll likely find an older shop assistant, straight-backed in fine tailoring, approaching to help you with a new shirt, or a suit for a special occasion, perhaps a jaunty pair of socks. There aren’t many global fashion brands, Paul Smith points out, perhaps unnecessarily, “where the owner is a Saturday boy”. But working in his shop, one of more than 130 around the world, is probably Smith’s favourite part of the job. “It’s fantastic, you meet so many interesting people,” he says, smiling broadly. Smith’s whole career, he says, has always been about doing things in a different way. He’s the untrained fashion designer who created a global British brand, who put a bright lining or some stripes into classic tailoring, and who has turned down multiple substantial offers to buy his company, in order to remain in control.

Sir Paul Smith has just turned 80 – and he has the enviable energy of someone more than half his age, swimming each day before 6am. He’s about to publish his memoir, Threads: My Life in Style. It’s been a good opportunity to do a stocktake. His has undoubtedly been a lucky life – right place, right time, right people (not least his wife, Pauline, whom he met at the age of 21 and who has been integral to his success) – but it’s also a story of hard work, integrity and modesty. We’ll get to whether those values are still relevant in a harsher, more competitive world, and whether Paul Smith can survive.

September 7th 2026, 4:09 am

Is it true that … hard water damages hair?

Life and style | The Guardian

Mineral deposits can accumulate, making hair drier, but removing them can cause different problems

From hair treatments to shower filters, a wave of products have been launched promising to protect hair from the “problems” caused by living in a hard-water area. But are they really necessary? “Hard water has a higher concentration of dissolved minerals, especially calcium and magnesium,” says Desmond Tobin, professor of dermatological science at University College Dublin. “These are naturally occurring in water, particularly water that is not rainwater.”

When water moves through soil and rocks, such as limestone, minerals dissolve into it and remain there when it comes out of your tap. These minerals are responsible for the limescale that builds up in your kettle.

September 7th 2026, 4:09 am

A new start after 60: I was always quiet – but at 82 I’m a famous, funny fashion influencer

Life and style | The Guardian

Vivienne Truran was a civil servant and antiques dealer, who spent most of her life in the background. At 80, she realised how outgoing she was, and started a soaringly successful new career

‘It took me till I was 80 to realise that I’m quite an outgoing and loud person,” says Vivienne Truran. Now 82, she has 829,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts daily videos about her outfit choices, including which of her trademark glasses work best with her look, all in her lilting Cardiff accent.

It all started 18 months ago. “I think I want to be an influencer,” she announced in one of her first reels. “Now, what can I influence people in?”

September 7th 2026, 4:09 am

Biopsies, aerial drills and a personal pizza: a day in the life of a shark scientist

Life and style | The Guardian

Jasmin Graham, a shark scientist and science communicator, also makes time in her day to practice her hobbies and play music bingo with friends

“Sharks are not monsters, they just need better PR,” writes Jasmin Graham. And she should know: Graham is a shark scientist and science communicator.

Here’s what a day in Graham’s life in Sarasota, Florida looks like.

September 7th 2026, 4:09 am

Students: as cycle thefts soar, here’s how to protect your bike

Life and style | The Guardian

Thefts spike during freshers’ week so make sure you choose a good lock and check your insurance

For hard-up students, a bike is a low-cost way to travel. But with cycle theft at an all-time high, experts are urging young people not to skimp on insurance and to buy a good lock.

Recent data from Aviva shows one in five (19%) of insurance claims involving student possessions relates to bicycles.

September 7th 2026, 4:09 am

Let your mind wander, don’t retire and stop worrying: surprising ways to help save your brain from t

Life and style | The Guardian

In his new book, The Brain Cliff, Dr Norman Swan outlines the science of brain ageing and strategies for staving off cognitive decline

You write that “changing the way you think about the brain cliff can literally change the way you think and remember”. How?

Dr Norman Swan: There are three things you need to know which are not widely known.

September 6th 2026, 11:51 am

Kindness of strangers: A hall-of-fame athlete helped my 94-year-old mum buy a vacuum cleaner

Life and style | The Guardian

A woman in the queue said she was happy to drive an hour, pick up the vacuum, then bring it to Mum’s house. I was worried – but how wrong I was!

Read more in the kindness of strangers series

For a 94-year-old woman, my mother is still very busy and active. So when a vacuum cleaner she liked the look of went on sale at a national electronics chain, Mum drove herself to the nearest store to buy it.

Unfortunately, the shop in her area had sold out by the time she got there. The sales assistant told her it was still available in another Melbourne store – but that store was an hour’s drive away. As active as she is, Mum pointed out that at her age, she really could not manage a drive of that length. She asked the sales assistant if they could transfer the vacuum to this store and was flatly told no.

September 6th 2026, 11:51 am

Dining across the divide: ‘He looked like a Green voter. As you get older you realise it’s unicorn p

Life and style | The Guardian

A part-time musician and an office manager disagreed on benefits and work-life balance, but where did they stand on community responsibility?

• Want to meet someone from across the divide? Click here to find out how

Henry, 33, Manchester

Occupation Waiter and musician

September 6th 2026, 9:40 am

This is how we do it: ‘As carers, we have to be responsible. During sex, we relinquish control to ea

Life and style | The Guardian

Betsy and Felix have sex once a week when they are alone in the house – it frees up their minds just to be together

• How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously

I used to kick guys out of bed after any sexual encounters. But with Felix it was totally different from the start

September 6th 2026, 9:40 am

I’ve always supported my dysfunctional siblings, but I’ve had enough. How can I divorce myself? | An

Life and style | The Guardian

You feel guilty because you’ve done ‘better’ in life, but you can’t rescue them. Listen to your resentment and learn to let go

I’m a 66-year-old widow and the middle of three siblings. They are struggling with mental health, financial issues, or both. I’m the only one who is doing well in both areas. I’m the only one who graduated high school and college; the only one who hasn’t spent time in jail; the only one who had a successful career and has a comfortable retirement. I help them when asked and appropriate, and do my best to be supportive, even when they continue to make bad decisions.

Recently, my older sister mistakenly texted me intimate pictures meant for the new man in her life. It’s one more disturbing thing in a very long line of disturbing things she’s said and done over the years and I’ve had enough. My world is so different from my siblings’ – it always has been.

September 6th 2026, 5:22 am

‘Fabulous museums and no queues’: five of the best under-the-radar city breaks in Europe

Life and style | The Guardian

From the Renaissance treasures of Parma to offbeat creativity in Nantes, these cities offer world-class art, great food and a laid-back alternative to Europe’s hotspots

As dilemmas go, it’s an unusual one: saddle up a giant squid or board a submersible for a voyage to the bottom of the ocean. In the end, I find myself drawn to a fierce-looking merhorse and tentatively take the reins. High above, my daughter glides by on a flying fish, metallic fins flapping, while her Dad is battling stormy seas at the helm of a huge conch shell. A ride on the Carrousel des Mondes Marins (marine worlds carousel) – a three-storey steampunk merry-go-round inspired by Jules Verne’s novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea – is one of the highlights of a visit to Nantes. A surreal fairground ride, a work of art and a homage to the city’s most famous son. It’s also a lot of fun.

September 6th 2026, 5:22 am

Kintsu, Colchester, Essex: ‘Style as well as substance’ – restaurant review

Life and style | The Guardian

Thoughtful, clever cooking that errs on the side of tasty

Amid all the bunting and hoopla of the platinum jubilee back in 2022, you may well have missed that Colchester, Britain’s oldest recorded settlement, got an upgrade from town to city status. And, as we all know, no true city is complete without at least one fancy restaurant that serves the likes of duck liver mousse on lattice tuiles. Well, in Colchester, Kintsu takes that slot.

Or at least it did until May 2025, when chef Paul Wendholt abruptly shut up shop, citing financial pressures. The name Kintsu plays on the term kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing pottery with gold, silver or platinum or, more commonly, of embracing imperfection and making something pleasing out of bad luck. So it’s rather fitting that Wendholt, a two-time winner of the Essex Chef of the Year gong, managed to reopen Kintsu just four months later, and a year on is now offering eight courses, plus a few extras, for £90 a head in a Grade II-listed building, albeit one that’s down a back lane beside a multi-storey NCP car park. The setting will win no beauty contests, but when a man is so determined to cook dinner, it feels churlish to ignore him. Come for the secure parking, stay for the treacle-cured Dingley Dell pork from nearby Suffolk and the Colchester cherries with amaretto.

September 6th 2026, 5:22 am

The student loan scam looking to dupe already anxious students

Life and style | The Guardian

Scammers hope to siphon off some of the £2.6bn in student maintenance funds paid out each September

You are about to start university and can’t wait but then you receive a worrying text message. It is a few days before the first student loan payment is due to land in your account and apparently someone has tried to alter your bank details.

“Our records indicate that your bank details on your student finance account were changed on Friday 16th. If you did not do this please contact us immediately,” says the text.

September 6th 2026, 5:22 am

‘It was a sweet, tender voice’: the pilot who fell for his air traffic controller – before ever seei

Life and style | The Guardian

Alfredo Bravo had a job he loved and was determined never to be grounded by marriage and kids. Then a voice from the control tower changed everything

Alfredo Bravo had landed aeroplanes in a lot of sticky situations – as a bush pilot in Chilean Patagonia and as a commercial pilot in rural China – but it was a singular voice floating over the radio waves from air traffic control in Santiago, Chile, that set his heart aflutter, upended his concentration and reshuffled his life.

It was the 1990s and, although he was still young, Bravo had held pretty much every low-level flying gig possible. He had dumped plumes of orange chemicals on to forest fires and flown surveillance missions to detect illegal fireplaces polluting the already smoggy Santiago airspace. He had completed hundreds of flights with photo crews operating a big Hasselblad camera as they mapped tree farms, calculating the heights of trees in a forest owned by a timber company involved in a low-level guerrilla war with the Indigenous Mapuche. As a pilot for the company, Bravo was a conspicuous outsider who slept in the fields amid the Indigenous communities, and worked alone in the hangar. But Bravo had a pair of aces up his sleeve.

September 6th 2026, 5:22 am

The moment I knew: I’d lost his number and was about to switch off my old phone for good – then a te

Life and style | The Guardian

When Karen Bleakley locked eyes with Matt on the dancefloor, it was a sign of a new beginning. But when she lost his number, she thought she’d never see him again

Find more stories from the moment I knew series

In 2002 I was in the midst of a messy breakup, so my friend Clare did what friends do – she took me out, fed me shots and showed me a good time.

We were at Route 66, a cheesy nightclub in Portsmouth on the southern coast of the UK, that was blasting 80s tunes. Then on the dancefloor I saw him: a young, hunky Ryan Phillippe lookalike, if Ryan Phillippe had spent the summer windsurfing. Matt, a Portsmouth local, was all blond curls, tanned skin and bright blue eyes that caught mine as I stared at him.

September 6th 2026, 5:22 am

Sebastian Barry: ‘At 71, sex is somewhere between a memory and an ambition’

Life and style | The Guardian

The author on dashed dreams of being the next Bob Dylan, cruel words from a revered poet and listening to his own snores

Born in Dublin, Sebastian Barry, 71, published his first novel in 1982. In 2005 and 2008, A Long Long Way and The Secret Scripture were shortlisted for the Booker prize; three of his other books have been longlisted. Barry has twice won Costa book of the year and he was laureate for Irish fiction. Tomorrow he discusses his latest novel, The Newer World, at Queen’s Park book festival in London. He is married with three children and lives in County Wicklow.

When were you happiest?
Purely and unconsciously, living on Greece’s Paros aged 25. Exhausted and happy, when our babies were small.

September 5th 2026, 5:37 am

What colour is octopus’s blood and how heavy is the sky? The kids’ quiz

Life and style | The Guardian

Five multiple-choice questions – set by children – to test your knowledge, and a chance to submit your own junior brainteasers for future quizzes

Submit a question

Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book, as well as her new title, Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World.

September 5th 2026, 3:22 am

Tim Dowling: my twice-daily baths are giving me a sinking feeling

Life and style | The Guardian

It’s raining in our hallway. Could my louche bathing regime be behind the showers?

August is the traditional time for something major to go wrong with my house. So I’m not surprised, as I’m getting dressed one morning, to hear the middle one shouting something about it raining in the hallway.

“What?” I say, standing on the landing with a shirt half pulled over my head. “What do you mean?”

September 5th 2026, 3:22 am

What links Baby Reindeer, Fleabag and Taskmaster? The Saturday quiz

Life and style | The Guardian

From Execution, Greenland and West India to Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky’s ‘Frankfurt’, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz

1 At his funeral in 1219, who was called the “greatest knight in the world”?
2 As the crow flies, what is London’s closest international capital city?
3 Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky’s “Frankfurt” was a celebrated design of what?
4 Which Bowery club was the focus of New York punk?
5 Which route is abbreviated as LEJOG?
6 In 1944, the USS Saint Lo was the first major warship to be sunk by what?
7 Which 75-year-old sporting curse was broken in July?
8 What is known as the “barking deer”?
What links:
9 Jim Clark; Graham Hill; Dan Wheldon (2); Dario Franchitti (3)?
10 Baby Reindeer; Fleabag; Six; Stomp; Taskmaster?
11 Dr B Ching; Lady Liberty; MD; Old Sparky; Piloti; Q-Brick?
12 Execution; Greenland; St Katharine; Royal Victoria; West India?
13 Miki Fare; Musse Pigg; Myszka Miki; Topolino?
14 Cry Baby in 2003 and Embers in 2021?
15 Hill House; Cheam preparatory; Gordonstoun; Geelong Grammar?

September 5th 2026, 3:22 am

The unsettling rise of cat seducers: ‘My little companion was missing – and I was consumed with ange

Life and style | The Guardian

Has your cat been gaining weight and staying out at night, only to arrive home reeking of marijuana? These are just some of the signs that a neighbour is trying to entice them away ...

When Amy’s cat, Sid*, first started spending more time away from home, Amy* put it down to wanderlust. A former street cat, Sid had landed on his feet in her leafy London suburb, but still retained his free-roaming sociability. When Sid began disappearing for up to days at a time though, Amy worried. She put a tracker on his collar to find out where he was going. She didn’t expect to discover him a few doors up the road.

Sid is roaming – but most of the time, for entire afternoons and even sometimes overnight, he is with Amy’s neighbour. “He is in her house, constantly, all the time,” she says. This is not a coincidence. Sid might not be getting six dinners, like his famous namesake in Inga Moore’s 1990 children’s book, but the neighbour is certainly spoiling him, as she recently let slip to Amy’s partner. “She’s feeding him organic chicken!” Amy says indignantly.

September 5th 2026, 3:22 am

Meera Sodha’s vegetarian recipe for kacang pool, or Malaysian bean stew

Life and style | The Guardian

A delicious and triumphant blend of Levantine and Malay cuisines

This is a dish with roots in ancient Egypt. There, it started life as ful medames, the famous fava bean dish lightly seasoned with cumin, garlic and lemon. Then it was, reportedly, brought to Johor in Malaysia by Arab traders. It has since been adopted and adapted with a fierce sort of love, plus more spice and a tin of baked beans. I adore it. It’s a very delicious dinner and a triumphant blend of two cuisines.

September 5th 2026, 3:22 am

A city break in Łódź, Poland’s capital of cinema and factories

Life and style | The Guardian

The imposing red-brick mills of its industrial past are a stunning example of urban regeneration in the former ‘city of a thousand chimneys’

Sometimes travel delivers a real shock. I’m moving along the boulevards in the Polish city of Łódź, enjoying the excellent cafes and warm sunshine, when I spot the vans. They are parked up on the verge, with racks of clothing and heavily laden tables behind. I can’t resist a Sunday morning market and walk towards a group of men huddled around a car that is covered in blankets. And then it happens. They turn – and I see they are weighing pistols in their hands. I recognise the lean profile of a German Luger, and then the bulkier Colt 45.

There is a second of doubt. I hesitate. They replace the weapons on the display and walk away laughing. I approach. On the car roof is a row of dusty soldiers’ helmets. “We were repairing a pavement in the centre of town,” says the seller cheerfully, handing me a badge to inspect. “Imagine! For 80 years, all this stuff was just under our feet.”

September 5th 2026, 3:22 am

Blind date: ‘Bizarrely, she suddenly realised she knew my daughter’

Life and style | The Guardian

Don, 76, who works in TV and film, meets Claire, 63, a counselling charity manager

What were you hoping for?
To meet someone interesting. To be part of a cultural phenomenon called the Guardian Blind date. To have a pleasant lunch.

September 5th 2026, 3:22 am

The best backpacks in the UK for work, travel and wild adventure – tested

Life and style | The Guardian

Whether you want a smart-but-stylish commuter rucksack or a hike-friendly pack, our writer lugged 16 over hundreds of miles to find the best bags for your buck

• The best travel mugs for taking hot drinks on the go

Chart your course through a fun, active or productive day, and you’ll often find cause to carry things. Backpacks are arguably the best people-powered way to do it, used by pretty much everyone from Napoleonic soldiers and Ötzi the Iceman to ultra-marathoner Courtney Dauwalter, as well as innumerable workers, students and travellers.

The best backpack to choose depends on which elements of your own world you wish to carry, and where you’re planning to take them. You can choose between smart-looking options suitable for work and travel, hiking-focused day packs and trail packs designed for outdoor itineraries, and versatile backpacks with water-resistant materials and a high storage capacity.

September 4th 2026, 10:38 am

Chat to strangers and let your kids be bored: how to embrace a ‘slow September’ – and enjoy life mor

Life and style | The Guardian

The pressure to self-optimise at the start of the new school year can lead to disappointment and burnout. Instead, here are seven ways to slow things down and reap the benefits

It is a hangover from our school days that September can feel like a time for getting back to the grind. As in January, there is a sense that we should return as better workers, partners, friends and parents. This sense is even stronger now a culture of optimisation – has taken over – evidenced by the fad for adding “maxx” to everything. Yet that can lead to disappointment and burnout, which Mental Health UK reports up to 91% of adults were at risk from over a recent 12-month period.

One antidote to this drive is to embrace a slower way of living. Rather than always rushing from one activity to the next, we could be enjoying life.

September 4th 2026, 10:38 am

What’s your study vibe? Take our quiz to find your perfect uni laptop

Life and style | The Guardian

Are you an obsessive perfectionist? A left-of-centre wildcard? Or just a regular student trying to have a regular student time? Take our quiz and work out your study style – and what laptop is best suited to you

A laptop is pretty central to your academic career but, with so many options out there, deciding which one to buy for university can be confusing.

To make choosing your essential tech a little easier, answer a few questions about your study vibe and course requirements to be matched with a device from AO’s extensive range that’ll help you get the most out of your time at university.

September 4th 2026, 10:08 am

Will we have to choose different plants for hotter, drier summers?

Life and style | The Guardian

Increasing heatwaves mean we need to rethink what we grow. The good news? You can still go cottagecore

The only spot-watering my garden has seen in recent months was done by the builder in a quiet moment. I hadn’t asked him to, but I think he saw the state of things and took pity on an acer I’d given up on. I explained I’d been using the drought as an, admittedly extreme, experiment to find which plants are resilient to multiple heatwaves, but said he was welcome to take the acer back to his well-irrigated garden.

My observations are that the roses hung in there. Not flowering, as I’ve seen others doing, but mine are probably younger. The wildflower meadow has been surprisingly floriferous; it’s been a good year for zinnias – although not good enough to make me like them. The volunteer buddleja that was hacked to the ground in April made an Oasis-worthy comeback. Euphorbias, meconopsis, sage, erigeron: all fine. Volunteer robinia saplings loved life. Verbascum coped. My son has been eating passion fruit straight from the vine.

September 4th 2026, 6:39 am

The best hair dryers for smooth, speedy styling at home – whatever your hair type

Life and style | The Guardian

Want every day to be a good hair day? We tested 22 hair dryers to find the best, from gentle diffusers to high-speed and travel-ready models

• The best hot brushes, tried and tested by our expert

In my years of reviewing beauty tech, it was upgrading my hair dryer that made the biggest difference to my routine. I used to dread hair-wash days: the chore of shampooing, conditioning and rinsing my hair, plus the time – and aching arms – spent getting it dry again.

My clunky, bargain-bucket hair dryer of seven years was weighty, deafeningly loud, and took a painstaking 20 minutes to dry my hair. So happier days really did arrive when I switched to a new model.

September 4th 2026, 5:07 am

Homes for sale minutes away from a train station in England – in pictures

Life and style | The Guardian

From a period cottage in Oxford with its own blue plaque, to a quiet leafy pocket in a bustling area of London

September 4th 2026, 5:07 am

‘It feels like Italy with the volume turned down’: readers’ favourite (smaller) city breaks in Europ

Life and style | The Guardian

You share your low-key alternatives to overcrowded hotspots, from an island city in the Med to a Norwegian art nouveau gem
• Tell us about your trips in Europe’s mountains – the best wins a £200 holiday voucher

Ferrara in Emilia-Romagna won me over precisely because it feels like Italy with the volume turned down. I stayed in a small family-run hotel near Via delle Volte, where mornings began with quiet cobbled streets and the smell of fresh pastries. The Palazzo dei Diamanti was almost empty when I visited, giving me space to enjoy its Renaissance art without crowds. Evenings meant cycling past terracotta walls to tiny trattorias serving pumpkin cappellacci, a traditional pasta dish. It’s a city that lets you slow down, breathe and enjoy its beauty.
John

September 4th 2026, 5:07 am

Experience: I didn’t know I was pregnant until I gave birth

Life and style | The Guardian

There’d been no morning sickness, cravings or tiredness. My mum didn’t believe I’d had a baby – even after seeing her on FaceTime

When I was 19, I went to college in Texas, where I met my boyfriend Preston. It was 2023 and I had big plans. After finishing my degree in criminal justice, I wanted to go to law school. I wasn’t in a rush to get married or have kids. My mum had drilled into me a fear of getting pregnant at a young age. I was on the pill and careful with contraception.

In May 2025, I took a trip to London, returning to campus in August after the summer holidays. I noticed I was slowly gaining weight; by January this year I’d gained 10lb. I put it down to my late-night snacking and lack of exercise.

September 4th 2026, 5:07 am

My dad died suddenly with no will. Am I morally obliged to share his estate with my estranged half-s

Life and style | The Guardian

It’s kind of you to wonder if you should change the way things were left, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. But it’s possible his preference is already clear

Read more Leading questions

My dad died suddenly earlier this year, with no will, and I am unsure as to how I should distribute the estate. We are talking about very modest sums of money – about £5,000 ($US6,750; $AU9,500) in total.

My dad was a very ethical person. While his death was unexpected, he had a sense it was coming. Around six months before he died, he arranged for the disposal of many personal effects. The lack of a will, given his self-discipline and preferences for forward planning, is odd.

September 3rd 2026, 12:51 pm

Do people really smell different as they get older? The truth behind ‘old person smell’

Life and style | The Guardian

Experts say that the smell comes from a chemical compound called 2-nonenal, and it can show up much earlier than one expects

Last week, my mom complained that she’s starting to smell “like an old person”.

She had grabbed her favorite sweater and draped it over herself at the movie theater. “It smelled like my grandmother,” she said, almost whispering. “I thought someone must have borrowed the jacket. But it was just me.”

September 3rd 2026, 12:51 pm

Rachel Roddy’s summer minestrone with pesto – recipe | A kitchen in Rome

Life and style | The Guardian

A fresh, seasonal vegetable soup that can be made in advance and only improves in texture and flavour over time

Now that I am an accomplished sourdough maker, soon to start my own micro-bakery and YouTube channel … Only joking! Now that I can make half-decent, variable loaves of sourdough, I have become more aware of how the temperature in the kitchen affects food. Not that I was completely unaware, of course – I have curdled enough milk and neglected enough eggs – but feeding, then watching the sourdough starter in a jar, and then the dough itself, seeing how the process takes hours in winter, speeds up in spring, then takes on a foaming, bubbling and at times terrifying life of its own in summer, are lessons in living microorganisms and fermentation.

It is a shame, then, that I didn’t give the same attention to the pan of summer minestrone I had felt so pleased with myself for cooking, cutting the courgettes carefully so they looked like Trivial Pursuit scoring wedges, while drinking tea and listening for the bottle bank lorry to drop the glass into its box, and before the sun (or anyone else) was up. Even though the combined taste of minestrone and milky Yorkshire tea is interesting, I knew it had turned out particularly well. I put on the lid, left the pan at the back of the stove and went out.