I swear this time of year is going to kill me one day. You know how during fireworks season, dogs get agitated and start leaping about when the explosions begin? That's what I'm like. Sudden loud cracks and explosions send me whistling into the air faster than the rockets themselves. I don't mind watching a fireworks display. I know the BANG is coming. But kids are launching these things in urban areas from the end of October til December. ..

More ...

It's all over the place, this weather of late, isn't it? Each day, I go for my 'healthy' stroll (including a pint of bitter at my favourite pub, but hey, I deserve it after an walk… and like I always say, the Good Life is all about BALANCE!) But I have never quite get the clothing combination right. It's sunny when I leave the house, in a light jacket and a hat. Then the wind starts up, so I am walking with one hand clamped onto the hat. Then ..

More ...

Who says healthy living has to be hard work? Obviously not me; I'd never say anything so stupid. Or try anything so stupid. “But Ray, cleaning out the garage will give you a perfect aerobic work out. Your heart, lungs, and blood vessels will benefit from the increased amount of oxygen in the body, which helps strengthen body tissue and keep you healthy.” I tell you, there are few downfalls to writing a health letter, but when your wife quotes ..

More ...

So, school exams… Are they getting easier or not? It's an argument that's been raging for years, and now, much to the hilarity of my family, I'm going to put my tuppence worth in. Yes me, Ray Collins, proud owner of O-levels in English Language, Art and Geography, is going to enter the fray and say they are definitely, 100%-ly (did I mention I barely scraped English…?) getting easier. Because this week I read about the daftest lessons I've ..

More ...

It was a simple question for a 10 year old to ask: “Why is it that grandma doesn't eat very much?” Little did the young Ray Collins realise that the answer would strike fear into his heart. …That his mum would launch into a description of how his grandmother once had an ulcer in her tummy. …And how that ulcer EXPLODED one day, leaving a hole in her stomach. …And how she was found on the kitchen floor and had to go to hospital where they t ..

More ...

I'm not a fan of artificial sweeteners. On the plus side, the principle ingredient, aspartame, is 180 times sweeter than sugar. This means you can use a tiny quantity to sweeten your drink, without all the pesky calories. On the downside, however…. Almost as soon as it was launched onto the food market, aspartame revealed more side-effects than one of Dr Jekyll's potions. In 1996, the American programme '60 minutes' looked at 164 studies into ..

More ...

Last Friday, one of them tried to run me over... Another one's sent me to hospital with a broken wrist... And at some point or another they've all caused me sleepless nights and driven me to tears. I am, of course, talking about my children and in spite of the fact that they regularly try to maim or kill me, I love them to bits. Which is why stories like this are so alarming... You are what you eat... and breathe Here's a shameful 'gold me ..

More ...

If Lara had turned on our camcorder this morning and filmed the first hour of my waking day, we'd have made a fortune... First, I slipped in the shower and put my left arm right through the shower screen. Luckily, I didn't injure myself physically. But my pride might need some stitches after my family rushed in to stare at me on the floor feebly trying to grab a towel. Second, I somehow managed to leave a huge handful of shaving foam behind ..

More ...

There's a serious health problem that I'd never come across before until yesterday… It's not something you read about. I'm guessing it's not something most people hear about either… In fact, unless you have first hand experience of this, it's probably not struck you at all. Yet I'm sure it's a problem that hundreds… no, thousands of people have to face every day. And as of yesterday, I'm included in that number. So what am I talking about… ..

More ...

One of the most interesting things to come from the recent Good Life Letter debate about I.B.S was this: Lara thinks that I am a writing cheat and a bad speller. Actually it wasn't that. Although I still think that getting the readers to 'write' newsletters could start a publishing revolution! No, it was the many emails I got which pointed out that pinpointing the CAUSES of an ailment like IBS can be more important than finding cures and treat ..

More ...