Kate Spicer: I needed a new home, a new life — and a new wardrobe
When people asked, 'Where?' I gave them three guesses. The first was usually Bruton, and they were right.
It's a migration route from west London so well trodden now that to move to the Somerset town is 100 per cent cliché. 'What is it about that place? What's wrong with Yorkshire?' asked my friend Grev. He had a point, but now was not a time to be taking risks. I'd recently split up with my long-term partner and could no longer afford
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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Jack Grealish's girlfriend Sasha Attwood stuns in a yellow maxi dress as she shares sweet holiday snap with baby daughter Mila, 9 months
Sasha Attwood turned heads on Friday as she shared a sweet holiday snap with her daughter Mila on her Instagram Stories. The model, who shares Mila with Manchester City star Jack Grealish, 29, welcomed their baby girl in September 2024. Known for keeping her personal life private, Sasha gave fans a rare look at her life as a mum. In the photo, the beauty beamed while holding Mila in front of a lime tree during her sun-soaked family getaway. Sasha looked stunning in a yellow bodycon maxi dress adorned with delicate layered ruffles. While Mila looked adorable in a flowing baby pink dress as she clung affectionately to her mum. Sasha later shared another Story, turning heads in a plunging pink satin dress as she posed for a mirror selfie. She teamed the look with gold jewellery and toted her belongings in a pink tweed Chanel bag. After more than a decade together, Sasha announced her pregnancy with Jack in July, later welcoming their first child just two months after the reveal. In May, she shared an insight into her life as a new mother, as she shared a TikTok video of her daily routine. She began with feeding Mila her bottle and then popping her into her baby bouncer, as she tried to complete some household chores. Sasha revealed to her followers that the little girl was in her 'screaming phrase' and joked that was her favourite mode of communication at the moment. After a quick lunch and skincare, she headed to the gym for a work out session, before going to get her nails done. The day ended with the mother and daughter visiting a soft play centre after Mila woke up from her nap, while Sasha began preparations for a girly night in with her friends. Mila's arrival was announced on Instagram by her footballer father, with Sasha calling it 'the most special moment of my life'. However, despite his joy at becoming a dad, Jack described 2024 as one of the hardest years of his life as he fought for his place in Manchester City. The year saw him spend more time that he would have liked on the bench instead of on the pitch and also narrowly miss out on a spot in England's Euro team. Reflecting on 2024 at the end of the year, Jack said: 'Last year, the whole year itself, it was weird because my little daughter was born, but apart from that it was one of the most difficult years - probably the most difficult year of my life for many reasons, on and off the pitch. 'I found it really difficult. But it's a new year, a sort of fresh start, and hopefully I can kick on from here. 'I feel like in my last few games that I have played - against Palace, Salford and Orient - I am trying to be involved more in the goals and assists. 'Listen, I want to start playing more often and have that rhythm. The way I was a couple of years ago when I was playing a lot of games in a row. 'I do find it difficult at times to come in and out of games, not really playing. Hopefully I can keep training well and playing a few more games.' However, it now looks as though Jack is headed for the exit door at Manchester City after being left out of Pep Guardioila's 27-man squad for the Club World Cup. Last month, the manager insisted the footballer needs game time and that it is 'best' for him to leave the club, after signing him rom Aston Villa for £100million in 2021. Guardiola said: 'He had a conversation with the club and they decided it was best. Jack is an exceptional player. The only reason why he didn't play last season is of course my decisions. 'We decide that he has to play. The club was honest, he was honest. We decide that the best thing is to stay (behind) and have a place that he can feel like he can come back to be the player like he was in the year of the Treble or all his career in Aston Villa. 'Without him it would have been more difficult in the year of the Treble. The fact is in the last two seasons he didn't play much minutes. 'He has to come back to play and have the butterflies in his stomach that he can play every three days, every three days and show again the quality he has.'
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
The empty nesters making a mint on their children moving out
Have you used a spare room in your home for a side hustle? We'd like to hear from you. Email money@ When her two eldest daughters left home to go to university, it didn't take long for Louise Mardon to make use of the extra space. For the past 18 months, she's rented out her children's bedrooms to brands including Amazon and Lumie, as spaces to take product photos. The now-spare rooms have also been used as hair and makeup spaces for photography happening elsewhere in the house, and as somewhere to store clothes being worn by models. Mardon, 51, lives in a five-bedroom, mid-century house in Cambridgeshire with her youngest daughter Eliza and husband Tom. 'The shoots started when the older two had left home and I worked them around my youngest (now 18). I couldn't have done it with the other two living at home as well,' she says. For Mardon, not only does hosting photoshoots from her home help to bring in some extra money, it also served as a distraction when her home got much emptier. 'If you're used to having a house filled with noise, to get some more bodies in, it's really good,' she says. Mardon previously worked as a hedge fund recruiter in London but when the pandemic hit, she decided against returning to commuting. She spent the next few years renovating her home, but only considered using it as a location house after talking to an interior designer friend, who had done the same. 'My friend, who's now my business partner, suggested I make the house into a shoot location, and I said: 'Why would anyone want a house in the middle of nowhere?', but I opened up my space,' she explains. She's now paid between £800 and £2,000 a day, either arranged through agencies or direct via her website, and secures bookings every couple of months. 'It's proved to be very lucrative,' she says. 'Shoot lengths vary from one day through to a week.' While some people may have qualms about letting whole teams of people roam around their home, Madron hasn't had any issues. 'One of the best things is that the shoot people are so lovely and respectful. Anything that is moved goes back. It's like the fairies have come,' she says. 'I tend to be here [when shoots take place], but you don't have to be. I give them a call sheet with things like the WiFi code, and I also provide biscuits and cold drinks.' Mardon's daughters may have gone to university, but they still use their old rooms occasionally. '[They] don't mind having people here in the slightest. Their rooms are left tidy and they get excited about it… On the whole, it's been a really positive experience,' she says. Only one shoot has pushed things a little too far for them: 'There were photos of people in their beds, pretending to wake up, which they found 'funny weird',' she says. 'The flip side is that, if we did Airbnb, there would be people in their beds all the time!' Despite the enjoyment Mardon derives from hosting shoots, she admits to having mixed feelings about her children leaving home: 'I'm excited for them and it's a new chapter, a new book really, but I love it when they come home.' She's now expanding her empty nest side hustle into a whole new business. The Shoot Academy, which she's launched with interior designer friend, Suzie Tipple, helps people set up similar ventures. 'I now teach other people how to do this,' she says. 'The course goes through how to get insurance, how much to charge, how to market your home, everything.' And, according to Mardon, any home is suitable. 'The reason people hire a home is that they want the authenticity you don't get from a studio. Our house is neutral, and the rooms are a nice size but, in terms of house type, anything goes. 'You can have avocado bathrooms, odd features, brutalist architecture, anything… It's about knowing the unique selling points of your house – it might be the location or a certain feature,' she says. 'It's a popular side hustle with women of my kind of demographic, who want something to fit around their lifestyle.' Mardon is certainly not the only one with a spare room ripe for a new purpose. Nearly 10 million homes in England had at least two unused bedrooms, according to the latest English Housing Survey – many of which will be the result of children leaving the family home. While many people will choose to downsize to a smaller property when this happens, the common issue of 'boomerang children' returning home is on the rise. Since 2006, the proportion of 25- to 34-year-olds who live in their parents' home has risen from 13pc to 18pc in 2024, according to research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). As a result, many parents hold on to larger homes for longer. 'We're not keeping your room as a shrine' When Lisa Baptiste found herself with a spare room after her eldest son moved out, she transformed the space into a craft room. 'I've got one side dedicated to textiles and the other side is mixed media, with a Cricut machine, easel and a table,' she says. She sells crochet creations, flower brooches, cardigans and watercolours at Christmas craft fairs, on her Etsy page and at local markets. Baptiste, who is 60 and lives in St Albans, has two sons, the eldest is 30 and left home three years ago to travel the world as a scuba diving instructor. Her youngest son is 26 and plans to move out next year. Getting the extra space finally gave her the opportunity to expand her long-held hobby. 'I painted for 20 years as it was part of my therapy. People always liked my work so I thought I'd see if I could grow it. When my son left, I did,' she says. While transforming her son's room has been emotionally and financially rewarding, there was some initial resistance from him. 'I explained: 'Yes, it's been your bedroom, but you've left home and, even though you don't have your own home yet, we're not keeping it as a shrine',' she says. She offered to either sell his possessions, giving him the money, or pack everything away until he wanted it back. 'He wasn't happy with his Lego being moved,' she explains. 'The Millennium Falcon got broken up and put into boxes. I couldn't do it until I'd had a FaceTime [call] with him and gone through how it would be dismantled and put back into the original box.' The Lego safely stored away, she then went to Ikea and bought some Kallax shelves, which she filled with baskets of yarn. 'I have a stash that would make the haberdashery at John Lewis look underwhelming,' she says. Baptiste previously ran a profitable pet care business but when it took off, the newfound success took its toll, with her working seven days a week. 'I want [the crafting] to be a side hustle; I've run my own business, and… it's all-consuming,' she says. Instead, she plans to just work when she wants to. 'Side hustles are a fantastic opportunity to dip your toe in without having to give up on other things. It keeps the brain active.' Baptiste estimates her business brings in around £250 a month, but she's also an after-school art teacher and uses her craft room to test out creative ideas for the children. 'The side hustle has always been about healing and wellbeing, rather than making a fortune… The way I sell it to my husband is that it pays for my nails, hair, coffee and girl day trips out, and I don't have to ask him for this money,' she says. Like Mardon, she would also recommend making the most of an empty nest – particularly because of the mental health benefits. 'It's a big change having your children leave home. Doing this gave me focus and kept me occupied,' she says. 'It took my mind off the loss of him, the banter and the fun times… That hobby you've been doing, take it to another level – turn that hobby into a business.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Fans rush to M&S to shop one of its biggest sales yet - with best-seller buys and everyday essentials slashed to up to half price in stores
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Shoppers have been sent into a spin over M&S 's massive summer sale, offering some of the store's best-selling items for up to 50 per cent off. Starting on Thursday, July 24, customers can get their hands on stylish essentials across women's, men's and kids clothing as well as lingerie, home and beauty for less. Those looking to bag a bargain will have to be quick, as the huge discounts are on selected items and only available in store while stocks last for a limited time. The summer sale is one of M&S's best and the perfect opportunity to give your wardrobe a much-needed revamp with everyday essentials priced at as little as £3.25. Some of M&S's most popular women's fashion favourites are now available for up to 50 per cent off in stores, including the viral Collection Polka Dot Sweetheart Maxi Dress and Linen Blend Wide Leg Trousers. The ladies can also stock up on lingerie basics with knickers from £6 and bras from £10. For the men, crew neck t-shirts are just £4 while the stylishly versatile lightweight chinos are now £22.50 instead of £45. Parents will love the deals in the kids' section, including a girl's dress for £4 and boys' two-piece sweater and shorts set for just £6. Beauty buffs can take advantage of skincare and fragrance deals with summery scents for £5 and a refining serum for as little as £750. Spruce up the house with some of M&S's home bargains from luxurious bedding to quirky kitchenware. Linen Blend Wide Leg Trousers The Linen Blend Wide Leg Trousers were dubbed the ultimate summer staple by stylish shoppers, and now they are just £19.75 down from £39.50. 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Available in a variety of colourways and ranging from sizes 6 to 24, the cotton shirt is only £3.25. £3.25 Shop Tailored Fit Italian Linen Blend Twill Blazer Autograph's sleek Italian Linen Blend Twill Blazer would previously have set shoppers back £150, but now they can get it for just £75. Made from an Italian linen-blend twill, the chic blazer is thin and breathable with a classic design for a timeless look. Perfect for smart or formal occasions like work functions or weddings, the twill blazer will be on regular rotation in any fashion-forward man's summer wardrobe. £75 Shop Regular Fit Pure Cotton Crew Neck T-Shirt M&S's £8 Pure Cotton Crew Neck T-Shirt has raked in almost 1,700 rave reviews from shoppers and is now down to just £4. It is available in 16 different colours, slim, long or regular fit and in sizes from small to 4XL. £4 Shop Regular Fit Super Lightweight Chinos The Regular Fit Super Lightweight Chinos are ideal for elevating any casual look and are now half price at £22.50, down from £45. They come in a range of sizes and lengths to make sure they make the perfect fit and feel ultra comfortable. £22.50 Shop Body Soft™ Wired Plunge T-Shirt Bra A-E For just £10 down from £20, women will love the Body Soft Wired Plunge T-Shirt Bra, ideal for everyday wear. Versatile and comfortable, the T-shirt bra enhances cleavage and has an elegant lace design. £10 Shop Rosa Lace High Leg Knickers You can never have too much underwear, and now you can stock up on M&S's Rosa lace high-leg knickers for half price. 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