Mrs Moneypenny



Profile:


Full name: Mrs Moneypenny

Area of interest: Investment banking

Journals: Financial Times

Email: [mailto:mrsmoneypenny@ft.com mrsmoneypenny@ft.com]

Website: FT.com / Mrs Moneypenny

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Career: 'It has been speculated' that Mrs Moneypenny is the nom de plume of Heather McGregor, a director of the executive search firm Taylor Bennett

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Current debate: FT.com Forums: Share your views on a Mrs Moneypenny column 

Financial Times:
Column remit: Chronicle of life as an investment banker, business woman and middle-aged mother of three

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Role: Commentator

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Email: [mailto:mrsmoneypenny@ft.com mrsmoneypenny@ft.com]

Website: FT.com / Mrs Moneypenny

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Day published: Saturday

Regularity: Weekly

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Articles: 2011

 * dramatic mix of cash and chaos'' - Mrs Moneypenny places her bet on an Oscar-nominated documentary on the financial crisis. After all, provoking debate on the use of tax-payers’ money is always healthy - 29th January
 * farewells'' - After attending two funerals over the holidays, Mrs Moneypenny ponders what kind of funeral she wants to have, but more importantly, what kind of friend she wants to be - 22nd January
 * patter of tiny paws'' - Mrs Moneypenny marvels at how a birth in the family has made Mr M a changed man - 15th January
 * cut above the rest'' - On the day her show opened in New York, Mrs Moneypenny gets the star treatment – from a Frédéric Fekkai haircut to jewellery from Asprey - 8th January



Articles: 2010

 * that’s how you throw a party'' - Mrs Moneypenny breaks her own rule when she attends a party held at the National Portrait Gallery to celebrate the 60th birthday of the chairman of one of the UK’s biggest retailers - 18th December
 * it for the boys, too…'' - Mrs Moneypenny has always tried to be a role model for aspirant women but, after listening to Christine Lagarde at an FT conference, starts to wonder if she is one for her sons - 11th December
 * Mr M, brace yourself ...'' - Mrs Moneypenny writes a Christmas wish-list – after all, being married for 22 years is not nearly long enough for a man to work out what his wife might like - 4th December
 * to make your takeaway deliver'' - Time with friends is precious – too precious to waste, writes Mrs Moneypenny. Even if it means skipping the last bit of a play altogether - 27th November
 * no place like motor home'' - Everyone should try something once, but as Mrs Moneypenny realises, no one ever tells you how technically-minded you need to be when embarking on a trip in a motorised caravan - 6th November
 * and curiouser ...'' - Should Mrs Moneypenny just stick to more anodyne topics of conversation and suppress her curiosity about people’s personal lives? - 30th October
 * decisions'' - Having made cuts in her own organisation 20 months ago, Mrs Moneypenny understands the tough and unpopular choices behind the Comprehensive Spending Review - 23rd October
 * tips for Mr Bean'' - Mrs Moneypenny has two sensible suggestions to get the population to open their wallets: get Michael Bublé to tour the UK more often and have party conferences more than once a year - 16th October
 * and no thanks'' - A showing of appreciation remains at the top of Mrs Moneypenny’s to-do list every time someone helps her, or her business, with anything - 9th October
 * women, uplifting times'' - Mrs Moneypenny agrees that the best women are like each other’s Wonderbras – a constant support, always helping each other look bigger and better - 2nd October
 * Mr M, raise your game. You work for me now'' - The division of labour is going to be rigorously enforced now that Mrs Moneypenny’s husband, retired from conventional employment, is in charge of the house - 25th September
 * your bladder, wax your eyebrows, grab your gun'' - Preparing for a day of shooting grouse – a rather challenging field sport – involves planning, paperwork and hours of personal grooming - 18th September
 * long last, a statue of the man who won the Battle of Britain'' The bronze figure of Sir Keith Park to be unveiled in London is the culmination of a campaign to seek greater recognition for the RAF pilot - 11th September
 * mainstream approach to the alternative scene'' - Mrs Moneypenny, who is anxious for her son to read more widely, wonders why so many boys of a certain age love playing war games rather than bucking the trend - 4th September
 * debt obligation to find comedy in the financial crisis'' - Mrs Moneypenny has been asked to explain the credit crunch because people say she ‘makes finance funny’, though she is not sure she is best placed to do it - 28th August
 * hit in Edinburgh – as a performer if not an investor'' - Mrs Moneypenny‘s show at the Fringe has nearly sold out but she wonders why her offer to invest in the festival run of ‘Hamlet!’ was spurned - 21st August
 * play’s the thing – but the packing came a close second'' - Mrs Moneypenny is forced to lug a heavy iMac on her flight to Edinburgh after failing to use a checklist that would have reminded her to send it ahead by car - 14th August
 * to find a nice new friend. Step one, leave it to someone else'' - Mrs Moneypenny, who has met potential girlfriends at pyjama parties and airports, says screening them is best left to mutual contacts – and sometimes, even to chance - 7th August
 * the cricket pitch action, I spy a handsome banker'' - At Lord’s to watch Australia play Pakistan, Mrs Moneypenny loses track of the match as she figures out a way to join Anshu Jain in the Deutsche Bank box - 31st July
 * monstrous oversight during my night at the museum'' - Mrs Moneypenny finds out that she has not been invited to the dinner for the Ghost Forest exhibition at Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History - 24th July
 * tale of two girlfriends – and their mismatching earrings'' - Mrs Moneypenny rethinks her decision to customise birthday gifts after her favourite jeweller mixes up the deliveries for two very different women - 17th July
 * Edinburgh survival kit? Some pizza and two new bras'' - Attempting to perform a show while simultaneously cooking for the audience is a sure-fire way to add extra stress - 10th July
 * I stand the stress of playing mind games with my stomach?'' - To help achieve her weight loss goal, Mrs Moneypenny sets off to Spain to try out gastric mind band hypnotherapy, but ends up worrying about other things - 26th June
 * a 360-degree appraisal made me see life in the round'' - After Mrs Moneypenny’s colleagues express alarm over the pace at which she works and the number of things she takes on, she agrees to slow down a little - 19th June
 * my comfort zone in healing, hugging Hay'' - On arrival at Buckland Hall, a ‘vegetarian mansion’ in Bwlch, Mrs Moneypenny realises that she has been billeted somewhere very distant from her natural habitat - 12th June
 * I can handle, but forget the high-tech toothbrush'' - No longer an early adopter, Mrs Moneypenny prefers technology to be as simple as possible and dreads mastering new gadgets - 5th June
 * wobbly night out on the Soho celebrity circuit'' - After having dinner with a famous gentleman that she knows next to nothing about, Mrs Moneypenny wonders how many people she is supposed to have heard of - 29th May
 * speaking and the delicate art of scheduling'' - Having discovered that she is sharing the same time slot as Bill Bryson, Mrs Moneypenny worries that she will be facing an empty tent at the Guardian Hay Festival - 22nd May
 * shootin’ and nail paintin’ on the pampas'' - On a 10-day shooting holiday in Argentina, Mrs Moneypenny finds herself competing not only with Mr M, but also with an impossibly handsome couple - 15th May
 * cash and other reasons why it’s grim up north'' - How Iceland, a country with a population roughly the size of Doncaster, can cause such a lot of trouble is certainly worthy of remark - 8th May
 * hard-won right to vote – and an agonising choice of parties'' - With a full working day and an all-night social agenda, Mrs Moneypenny can already see that she won’t have time to actually vote, so she has registered for a postal ballot - 1st May
 * I want feedback on my colleague’s cleavage, I’ll ask'' - Instead of knowing what people thought of her work, Mrs Moneypenny hears comments about a colleague’s preoccupation with blouse buttons - 24th April
 * I employ my husband to escape the new tax regime?'' - Mrs Moneypenny, who is far from delighted with the new tax rate, finds that tax-planning ideas seem a lot of work for £7,590, or whatever she might save - 17th April
 * curious incident of the sprog in the night-time'' - At 5.40am, a sleep-deprived Mrs Moneypenny is awoken by her 20-year-old son, who is shocked to find his friend, smelling of drink and cigarettes, in bed with his mother - 10th April
 * tough to navigate through a recession without dessert'' - After enduring an unpleasant flight to Ireland for a speaking engagement, Mrs Moneypenny aspires to eliminate laminated menus from her travel experiences - 3rd April
 * today – and I still have homework to do'' - One thing Mrs Moneypenny has learnt about birthdays, or any other social occasion, is that she cannot rely on the help of men and must plan them herself - 27th March
 * is so last year. Especially without my glasses'' - Mrs Moneypenny attends an auction and attempts to build her ‘regenerative community’. But can she succeed even if she can’t read the guest list? - 20th March
 * prisoner with the bright young(ish) things'' - Mrs Moneypenny is marooned at an annual symposium in Wales, where she quickly realises that everyone is cleverer – and younger – than herself - 13th March
 * a wild guess why women do their e-mails late at night'' - Mrs Moneypenny, who prefaces work-related correspondence with an explanation that she is not ignoring her family, ponders the priorities of businesswomen - 6th March
 * message in flashing lights about my body mass index'' - Mrs Moneypenny thought her spa visit would be the ultimate fantasy but it turned out to be a source of irritation and high blood pressure - 27th February
 * to do with a young boy who wants to drive a tank'' - Mrs Moneypenny isn’t that worried about CC#3 wanting to join the army, so long as when the time comes, he won’t need to learn the Afghan language of Pashto -20th February
 * is in the air – along with various powerful pollutants ...'' - Mrs Moneypenny is shocked to find out that her son formally asked a girl out under the shadows of Didcot Power Station, once voted the third-worst eyesore in the UK - 13th February
 * I didn’t appear at Davos. But I will at Edinburgh...'' - Though Mrs Moneypenny stayed away from the World Economic Forum, she went to see a play about the financial crisis and has decided to write a script about herself - 6th February
 * mixed blessing of an au pair who can cook'' - After her sensible German nanny sets an impossibly high bar for the family's meals, an anxious Mrs Moneypenny sets out to prepare a more elaborate weekend feast - 30th January
 * distracting encounter with politicians’ dress sense'' - Gripped by descriptions of what everyone wore to crisis meetings, Mrs Moneypenny ponders how much easier reading reports would be if they could start with the clothes - 23rd January
 * and spent – the trials of a DIY high-flyer'' - Mrs Moneypenny resents filling in forms to report on the sustainability and diversity policies of her business and would rather fly around England to visit airfields - 16th January
 * role models like to wear fancy shoes'' - Mrs Moneypenny, whose employee has finished a sponsored postgraduate degree, is certain of a satisfactory return on her investment after meeting a glamorous teacher - 9th January
 * and good riddance to 2009'' - After a year marked by too many farewells to important people in her life, Mrs Moneypenny eagerly looks forward to a new one filled with hellos - 2nd January



Articles: 2009

 * time my fledglings went to work on an egg'' - Inspired by her office Christmas party at a culinary school, Mrs Moneypenny enrols her children in a cooking course where they will learn to make basic student meals - 19th December
 * fizz'' - Jancis Robinson picks the best champagnes and sparking wines - 12th December
 * to leave in (and out of) an after-dinner speech'' - Instead of discussing competition law, which she knows nothing about, Mrs Moneypenny recalls unsuitable conversations overheard at a private breakfast - 12th December
 * M, a few suggestions that you might find helpful'' - To avoid the embarrassment and wealth destruction that come with Christmas gift-giving, Mrs Moneypenny has drafted a list for those who plan to give her a present - 5th December
 * blue Agas and the father of invention'' - On the 300th anniversary of the Industrial Revolution, Mrs Moneypenny recalls the legacy of Abraham Darby, whose foundry produces her beloved cast-iron oven - 28th November
 * I the last person in the world to discover Michael Bublé?'' - After failing to recognise the singer at a radio show, Mrs Moneypenny resolves to stop spending weekend evenings reading The Economist and get out more - 21st November
 * is she? Gone to Ghana to get rare trees'' - Mrs Moneypenny marvels at the sheer determination of an artist friend who plans to bring 10 rainforest trees from west Africa to display in Trafalgar Square - 14th November
 * you are all in danger of a flying visit'' - Mrs Moneypenny is delighted that she is now a qualified pilot who can take passengers along with her as she cruises the skies of central England - 7th November
 * my shooting days are all in a Nobel cause'' - Oliver Williamson, the winner of this year’s economics prize, inspired Mrs Moneypenny to spend one day a week killing birds alongside captains of industry - 31st October
 * every teenager really, really wants to know'' - For Cost Centre #2’s birthday, Mrs Moneypenny employs the help of a friend who brings pizza, cake and probably the best present a 15-year-old boy could hope for - 24th October
 * (and no fizz) with the Tory party people'' - Hosting a fringe event at her first political party conference, Mrs Moneypenny is outraged when the refreshments turn out to be inadequate as well as overpriced - 17th October
 * off bankers’ bonuses – they’ll help pay back the budget deficit'' - Mrs Moneypenny wants us to admit that our only problem with bankers’ pay is we are jealous that we don’t earn that much ourselves - 10th October
 * with the supermodels in New York City'' - Attending a charity event, Mrs Moneypenny feels somewhat inadequate next to her successful dinner companions, who are older but look years younger - 3rd October
 * and comedians need not apply'' - In spite of the recession, Mrs Moneypenny has added two new faces to her team after realising that it would be short-sighted to stop hiring and training young people - 26th September
 * difficult lesson in tough love'' - Mrs Moneypenny learns that she has to cut herself off, emotionally and financially, from an alcohol-dependent relative until he genuinely wants to help himself - 19th September
 * strange case of the suspicious underpants'' - Returning from a weekend trip to the Riviera, Mrs Moneypenny has some explaining to do after unpacking a pair of white boxer shorts in front of a startled Mr M - 12th September
 * to keep young guns happy in the holidays'' - Mrs Moneypenny suggests sending bored 14- and 15-year-olds off to help take delivery of pheasants, get rid of vermin and shoot pigeons and rabbits - 5th September
 * me my age on live radio – how dare they?'' - Mrs Moneypenny can’t see what age has to do with her views on women boxing. But when it comes to dinner, she admits only men over 60 can be interesting company - 29th August
 * healthy dose of scepticism – far more use than antivirals'' - Given the nature of swine flu and Tamiflu’s nasty side effects, Mrs Moneypenny asks if we should really be worried about the illness to the point of taking the drug - 22nd August
 * high-flyers want to come down to earth'' - Lost at 2,000ft in a little aeroplane amid clouds that show no sign of disappearing, Mrs Moneypenny vows to go fly-fishing instead when the weather is dodgy - 15th August
 * last, something to smile about at the dentist'' - A high-tech procedure that would reduce the number of visits and injections makes Mrs Moneypenny more enthusiastic about having a cracked filling fixed - 8th August
 * readers offer support – and Latin lessons – in tough times'' - Columnists may moan about the size of their postbag, but Mrs Moneypenny says feedback reminds them that someone out there is reading and bothering to respond - 1st August
 * has many charms – and the opera’s good, too'' - Mrs Moneypenny is surprised how the company puts on such spectacular shows without government subsidy – in an age when tax money goes on bizarre things - 25th July
 * BlackBerrys to baking – shortcuts for the time-poor'' - Mrs Moneypenny’s top time-saving tip for busy women: learn from others. She shares how to multi-task at the hairdresser and explains the benefits of taking taxis - 18th July
 * miles in a weekend? There’s networking to be done'' - The only girl in a party of six, Mrs Moneypenny flies to South Africa and discovers a fertile networking venue – rugby internationals - 11th July
 * choice that no parent wants to make'' - Since her business is not immune to recession, Mrs Moneypenny reviews family finances and makes the hard decision to change the cost centres’ schools - 4th July
 * let sober company results dampen a boozy meeting'' - With less than impressive figures, Mrs Moneypenny decides to present a slideshow of team memories alongside the numbers, followed by karaoke over drinks - 27th June
 * few thoughts on looking after number one'' - As a supporter of free trade, Mrs Moneypenny is disappointed that two representatives of the British National party got elected to the European Parliament - 20th June
 * barometers of the recovery: Chelsea and Lord’s'' - Business surveys leave Mrs Moneypenny a little cold, so she develops her own green-shoots antennae using rather different indicators - 13th June
 * plan to abolish soccer? I must be dreaming'' - Mrs Moneypenny will give her vote to the Conservatives if they ban the sport instead of proposing to dissolve the Serious Organised Crime Agency - 6th June
 * work comes first – unless it’s making the bed'' - A recent study has found that most women are ‘adaptive’: they want to combine having a job and a family. But for Mrs Moneypenny, her career is the top priority - 30th May
 * do something spontaneous! I’ve got a free afternoon in July'' - Since time is now the scarcest commodity she possesses, Mrs Moneypenny appears to have reached a stage where spontaneity is all but impossible - 23rd May
 * over, Darling – 50% tax won’t dig us out of this hole'' - The chancellor should have given his Budget speech carrying a safecracker in one hand and a bag marked ‘swag’ in the other - 16th May
 * women deserve to reap the awards'' - One of the reasons female talent should be lauded is that they are often able to balance their career with family life - 9th May
 * lamented heroes and the memorials they deserve'' - Looking back will be harder if there is nothing to remind us of the people – especially those in the armed forces – who have made a difference - 2nd May
 * a lather about equal opportunity spin cycles'' - If laundry etiquette is a charged issue at Mrs Moneypenny’s home, it is even more fraught at work, where she believes her male colleagues should be more considerate - 25th April
 * should be cautious – unless we’ve just had dinner'' - Mrs Moneypenny doubts that the governor of the Bank of England will embark upon a second career as a chat-show host. Levity is not his strong suit - 18th April
 * did I celebrate my birthday? I got out my gun'' - Mrs Moneypenny spends a day of clay pigeon shooting with about 70 women, all the while enjoying the event organiser’s discomfiture handling their handbags - 11th April
 * of Japan’s lost decade on a Scottish hillside'' - When asked about the ‘carry trade’, Mrs Moneypenny recalls starting her column in Tokyo in 1998 and realises anew how it feels to have effectively zero interest rates - 4th April
 * minister, it is not smart to give bonuses a bad name'' - Despite public outcry over incentive pay, Mrs Moneypenny thinks it is not right to throw out a good management tool simply because it has become synonymous with greed - 28th March
 * only you’d managed to keep mum, Mr M'' - Mrs Moneypenny hits the roof when he criticises her choice of starter for the village supper on Mother’s Day, after spending all day playing golf and watching hockey - 21st March
 * of the fittest is great, especially if you’re the fittest'' - With an upgraded CV and an upgraded pension, Mrs Moneypenny relishes the advantages of consolidation and the dividends that the recession seems to have paid - 14th March
 * love and in loss, actions speak louder than words'' - ‘Acta non verba’ is the motto of the day for Mrs Moneypenny, who finds herself at a loss for words as she comforts a friend who has just lost her partner - 7th March
 * against the coffee machine'' - After trying and failing to operate a Nespresso machine, Mrs Moneypenny comes to the conclusion that education may be a complete waste of time - 28th February
 * you care about popularity, don’t run a business'' - As she faces the hard decision to cut workers, Mrs Moneypenny realises that you get none of the praise when things go right and all of the blame when they go wrong - 21st February
 * few highs – but a lot of mountains still to climb ...'' - While others at the Davos forum did not find any solution to the global financial crisis, Mrs Moneypenny received six suggestions on how to reduce maternal mortality - 14th February
 * we can believe in – including hockey'' - As Obama is inaugurated into office, Mrs Moneypenny finds that her son is embracing similar historic changes, from managing email to taking up a sport - 7th February
 * must dig deep in search of reasons to smile'' - In the face of the biggest recession in our lifetime Mrs Moneypenny feels the challenge of writing a column that is supposed to entertain - 31st January
 * fact meets fiction for developers and duchesses'' - Mrs Moneypenny notes that real world events are affecting her favourite soap opera and muses on the reaction to her ducal girlfriend’s reality show - 24th January
 * as I am to public representing...'' - Mrs Moneypenny stood in for a bank chairman at a Queen’s awards ceremony, but HM was also represented by someone else – a man of whom Mrs M is also a fan - 17th January
 * Would anyone else like to tell me I’m fat? - Contrary to the opinions of a facial analyst and sports masseur, Mrs Moneypenny feels that she isn’t really that ‘well-padded’ - 10th January
 * This will be the year of living carefully - The recession will bring a testing 2009 for Mrs Moneypenny, who must recover money from Kaupthing, buy a gift for her New Admirer, and write more personal letters - 3rd January



Articles: 2008

 * 2008: The good, the bad, and the frankly unforgivable - On Mrs Moneypenny’s list of villains are British Airways, the idiot who thought up the one-size-fits-all capital gains tax and the CEO who suggested she go on a diet - 27th December 2008
 * The day I acquired a one-way ticket to Stressville - Mrs Moneypenny will need rest and recuperation over the Christmas and New Year break after a gruelling trip to the Passport Office - 20th December 2008
 * On the perils of speaking without notes - It takes a lot to make Mrs Moneypenny nervous. But when she recently had to speak before a large audience, she found herself struggling for a killer opening line - 13th December 2008
 * Of sons and mothers - Mrs Moneypenny is not sure if she has raised an equal opportunity household as all of her three ‘cost centres’ seem reluctant to engage with domestic machinery - 6th December 2008
 * A few festive suggestions – and none of them extravagant - Mrs Moneypenny has taken pity on Mr M, who finds gift-giving an unusually onerous responsibility, by flagging up in about June what she would most like - 29th November 2008
 * Who says there’s no romance in Hatfield? - A one-time site for jetliner testing, film production and wartime espionage is now part of an online grocery revolution - 22nd Novembe 2008
 * Never so glad to be stood up, I took off - With her meeting with Panama’s first lady postponed, Mrs M finds she has the time and perfectly glorious weather to take her first solo flight instead - 15th November 2008
 * Tumbling markets – and stumbling columnists - On a recent visit to Dubai, Mrs M found herself at the feet of an esteemed sultan after losing her footing - 8th November 2008
 * Women bankers: credit where it’s due - Mrs M is not worried for her company, an unsecured creditor of Kaupthing, because a woman is in charge - 1st November 2008
 * Let me put this diplomatically. Be nice. Or belt up - Mrs M has a piece of advice on what the diplomatic male should say to a woman about her weight - 25th October 2008
 * A banker both boring and Swiss? Bring him on! - In these troubled times, Mrs M seeks safety by selecting a yawn-inducing lender to refinance her company - 18th October 2008
 * The financial collapse and other causes for concern - While everyone had their attention on the market meltdown, Mrs M and other women had theirs on maternal mortality - 11th October 2008
 * Things have changed around here: Tread carefully, Mr M.. - Change is stressful. Starting a new job, moving house and divorce are often cited as three of the most common causes of stress - 4th October 2008
 * Why am I being made to subsidise my customers? - Business, rather than love, in a cold climate. In these straitened economic times the standard opening question on the drinks party circuit is: “How’s business?” - 27th September 2008
 * Yes, Sarah – you’re the beauty queen. But I’m the Aga goddess - I blame Sarah Palin. It is not enough to be able to shoot, manage a large family and a husband and hold down a challenging job in order to be considered a success as a woman. You also have to cook like a dream and win beauty competitions - 20th September 2008
 * At last, a place for an unsung war hero in Trafalgar Square - Anniversaries are important. I am usually good at remembering anniversaries, such as the first time I met anyone significant, the first time I did anything special (shot my first grouse, for example) - 13th September 2008
 * How new leaves affect turnover - Do plants belong in the workplace? - 6th September 2008
 * Faint hearts and fair maids - Cities are some of my favourite places. I am at my most comfortable right in the heart of a city, being part of its energy, watching the people. London, of course, is my favourite - 30th August 2008
 * Slights of hand and eye - How do you handle rejection? I’m not good about it, on the whole - 23rd August 2008
 * Theirs but to do or dye - There is more to life than hair, but it’s a good place to start. For my female readers I am sure this rings true. Men have it so easy, don’t they? - 16th August 2008
 * Holidays begin at the airport - For my holiday this year I stayed at home. Yes, home. I don’t mean that I went on holiday in England either. I mean that I just didn’t go to work for two weeks - 9th August 2008
 * In full swing - Wanted, new wife for Australian golfer in his early fifties. Must be blonde, good at tennis and preferably have won several (specifically 18) Grand Slam titles - 2nd August 2008
 * Stumped by the British summer - Summer has been here since April. No, I am not talking about the weather - 26th July 2008
 * Recline and fall - What do the governor of the Bank of England, the editor of this newspaper, the mayor of London and I have in common? - 19th July 2008
 * A night on the (bathroom) tiles - Clean and well-stocked bathrooms are critical. That’s what I told the cleaner last week before the Mother-in-Law arrived for one of her State Visits - 12th July 2008
 * Lessons for life over a tricky cup of instant - First impressions count. At our office we are careful to make sure that every visitor is made to feel extremely welcome: they are greeted at the door, shown to a meeting room and offered tea, coffee or a cold drink - 5th July 2008
 * Summer game shoots? Too dry for my liking - The game season finishes for feathered targets on February 1 and until the grouse season starts on August 12, the City has to put its shotguns away - 28th June 2008
 * Consumed by guilt, fuelled by fried bread - Nutrition is not a subject I have ever studied. I didn’t do biology O-level, so I have not even the smallest grasp of the nutritional properties of plants and seeds, let alone animals - 21st June 2008
 * Benign Neglect Of Cars And Cost Centres - An extra night in his own bed. That was the prize won by cc#3 for breaking his arm - 14th June 2008
 * Where Networking Blossoms - Gardens were not on the agenda. The purpose of the chelsea flower show gala preview is not, as i have explained before, to preview any flowers. It represents the largest annual gathering of corporate britain - 7th June 2008
 * Forever sipping bubbles - In 2002 I embarked on a love affair that has continued ever since. No, not with a man (or a woman!) but with a champagne - 31st May 2008
 * Why I need to be a party insider - I never want a surprise party. I like parties – I like giving them, I like going to them. But a surprise party? For me? No, thank you - 24th May 2008
 * At last, I’m back in the ring - Four months have sped by. In early January I had some surgery and as a result had to give up aerobic exercise – ie, boxing – for many weeks - 17th May 2008
 * The domino theory of teenage nutrition - Pizza parenting. That’s the social phenomenon that I believe explains Domino’s recent results - 10th May 2008
 * The Best-Laid Childcare Plans of Mothers and Men... - So what do you think of our new livery? In the magazine world redesigns do not happen casually - 26th April 2008
 * Fiscal jerks - Do you prefer your taxes arising or on remittance? I suspect that, like most of us, you would rather pay no tax at all. But if you are one of the 114,000 people living in the UK and registered as non-domiciled then you will have a vested interest in the difference between these two ways of assessing your taxable income - 19th April 2008
 * Heights of power - Warm and comfortable. No, that’s not a description of my personality and figure, but the dress code on the invitation for my recent ladies’ shooting day - 12th April 2008
 * The secret of longevity - “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” If George Bernard Shaw were alive today, he might add that they are also separated by, among other things, 3,000 miles or so of sea and a totally different approach to advertisements for erectile dysfunction - 5th April 2008
 * Strategic play - I blame it all on Australian Rules Football. When Mr M announced last year that we were about to subscribe to Setanta at £10 a month... - 28th March 2008
 * Read my lips - I am not a literature buff. My reading largely consists of The Economist and historical biography, and I rarely pick up a novel other than when I’m on holiday - 22nd March 2008
 * Mind the gaps - What have you forgotten recently? I was stood up for breakfast the other day because someone who had fixed a date with me a month ago forgot they had done so - 14th March 2008
 * A place fit for heroes - In the first half of the 19th century, there raged in the newspapers of the day a great public debate. A military hero, long dead, remained – shamefully – uncommemorated - 8th March 2008
 *  - Alarms and excursions] - One of Mrs M's cost centres is setting the world, or at least his school, alight - 1st March 2008
 * Well you did ask - As some of you might have noticed, I am not short of opinions. I am of the opinion, for instance, that holidaying with other people’s children is an acquired taste - 23rd February 2008
 * A heavy sleeper - On January 9 I was unconscious for four hours. No, I had not stood in the way of a golf ball, or taken my boxing training to new levels - 16th February 2008
 * Suited and booted - I was very nervous before going to Davos. No, it was not the thought of rubbing shoulders with more than 1,000 of the world’s business and political leaders (and apparently 10,000 support staff). It was about what to wear while doing so - 9th February 2008
 * Way to go - My father turned 80 this week. He continues to drive, work a day a week at the Citizens Advice Bureau, publish the parish magazine from his home computer and attend art classes - 2nd February 2008
 * Cold comforts - A group of people in a small Swiss ski resort at 1,500m will this weekend debate the pressing issues of the world. Before packing my snow boots, I considered how I was likely to contribute to the debate on world trends - 26th January 2008
 * The monstrous regiments - Women can be quite terrifying in large numbers. I am sure that men can be as well, but I am always slightly intimidated by large groups of women, especially when organised into fighting units - 19th January 2008
 * Down to earth - Visiting New York is always appealing.In mid-December, I went for 24 hours and managed to make every minute count - 12th January 2008
 * Profit of doom - Happy New Year. What does 2008 hold for you? I am never confident of predicting anything other than death or taxes, but one thing that I do confidently predict for me this year is that I am going to have to go through a refinancing - 5th January 2008

