How can I get the buyer of a supermarket to notice my products?
Q. I import a range of very high-quality food products from Europe into the UK. They are regarded as the…
My husband keeps pointing out birds in our garden but I can’t see them
Q. Having retired, my husband is now an enthusiastic observer of the goldfinches, greenfinches and bullfinches in our garden. Their…
How can I stop a friend posting photos on Instagram of my parties?
Q. We have received a ‘save the week’ card from friends who take a villa abroad every year. We usually…
How to make the most of the social opportunities of the polling station
Q. I am a member of a well-known country house opera society, and I organise annual trips to performances for…
No need for excuses with party bores... it’s your duty to circulate
Q. Re getting away from bores at drinks parties (Dear Mary, 20 May). I take issue with the idea that…
Dear Mary: how do you excuse yourself from a dull conversation?
Q. My mother always told me that only boring people are bored. However she never got stuck at a drinks…
Stop carping at having to buy a holiday gift for your cleaner. It’s vital
Q. My 23-year-old son has taught himself to play the piano, learning the theme tune to The Truman Show without…
My cleaner is brilliant but how can I stop her working in bare feet?
Q. I have a very good cleaner who comes once a week. She is far more efficient than anyone I’ve…
How can we avoid looking like 'awful oiks' at the Fourth of June?
Q. New colleagues invited us to lunch but didn’t warn us that the clippings had not been cleared up from…
How do you reject someone but still spare their feelings?
Q. May I pass on a tip to readers wishing to reject a hopeful romantic partner without hurting their feelings?…
Does a gentleman raise his hat once or twice to a lesbian couple?
Q. My aunt lives in a small market town with narrow roads and limited parking. A neighbour opposite acquired a…
What can be done about flakes who cancel at the last minute?
A friend of a friend hosted an engagement party in a London hotel. Invitations had gone out six weeks beforehand,…
Dear Mary: Am I obliged to regale my sponsor with anecdotes from my life?
Q. As an artist I’m indebted to my sponsor. I also like him, but not his habit of ringing me…
Dear Mary: How to coax a thank-you letter from your guests
Q. We had some people up from London for a very long weekend. We put on an extra-special do, costing…
Dear Mary: how can a dear friend be enjoined to plan his visits ahead?
Q. Living in a large house in the country within striking distance of a motorway, we get a lot of…
Dear Mary: my friends’ annoying habit when referring to their toddlers
Q. Most of my friends have small children and being mostly media types in west London, have given them silly…
Dear Mary: How to deal with a ‘recycling fascist’
My partner has become a recycling fascist. She checks everything I put into the bin. I received two bollockings today alone…
Dear Mary: How to make your 15-year-old daughter behave
Q. I’ve listened to the radio to deal with insomnia for years (Dear Mary, 18 February) and your suggestion of…
Noisy neighbour? Just download a crying baby from the internet...
Q. My husband and I like to go to concerts and recitals but he is an artist with a very…
How to throw a singles party on St Valentine’s night
Q. A (very attractive) man I knew at university invited me to a party given by him and his girlfriend.…
Dear Mary: how can I keep cheese and chocolate safe from my husband?
Q. My granddaughter has asked to use our barn for her 21st birthday dance in June. We can only sleep…
Dear Mary: What can I do when a richer friend pleads poverty?
Q. I recently made an arrangement with a flaky friend from university to go to my gym together. Half an…
Dear Mary: how should you deal with having your face flecked with spittle?
Q. At a drinks party at Christie’s this evening my face was splattered with flecks of spit from the guest…
Dear Mary: how can my son entertain friends now that he is a lodger?
Q. My son decided to go straight into work and has got a job. The problem is that it is…
Dear Mary: How can I smoke without my neighbours spotting me?
Q. I have bought a second-floor flat which comes with a bow-shaped balcony which overlooks a communal garden. My problem…
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