Never before have I felt so welcome in a stately residence, or even in my mum's house, than I did at President Michael D. Higgins sprawling mansion for afternoon tea.

I remember many New Year's Eves in crowded bars, complete with anonymous hugs from drunken strangers. People bellow out the words of Auld Lang Syne as part of the midnight ritual. "We'll have a friendly drink for old time's sake", roughly translates the most famous lines of the song from Robert Burns' Scots dialect.

London is such a vibrant, diverse and energising city I am thrilled that we were able to showcase this side of the city to the world!

Today is International Women's Day and for me it has already gotten off to quite the start. I opened the London Stock Exchange this morning alongside 49 other UK businesswomen, which showcased the talent and success of women in this country.

At Christmas - the perfect time of year for taking good care of ourselves and our relationships - a little, honest thank you can mean so much.

Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting where Muslims become more charitable and forgive each other.

D.I.Y. weddings are becoming one of the most stylish ways to enjoy your day, especially for brides on a budget.

Whenever human beings gather to celebrate, food and drink is there - wetting babies' heads, birthday cakes, parties, the Christmas dinner, the wedding breakfast. But it's also there at the more wan and sorrowful times, often in a quieter, more humbler guise; it has a part to play in healing the sick, and eventually, in the final commemoration of our lives.