The Guardian

Got a beauty dilemma? Our expert is here to help. This week, Sarah is looking beyond cancer surgery First of all, sending lots of love during what can’t be an easy time. Your surgical team will tell you what to do straight after the operation. “It’s important to follow their instructions,” says breast surgeon Chloe Constantinou. “After surgery, the dressings will be taken off if everything has he…

Unesco listing for the city’s Roman temple put this city on the map last year, but there are uncharted delights in the surrounding towns as well The director of a newly refurbished boutique hotel in the old town of Nîmes tells me he has gained and lost a star recently. The hotel’s restaurant, Rouge , run by Benin-born chef Georgiana Viou, recently won its first Michelin star. But the hotel itself…

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts What was the first word that humanity uttered? There must have been one … Raymond Simms, Hull Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com . Continue reading...

Staff at a Chinese supermarket chain can take ‘unhappy days’ whenever they want. Perhaps we’re finally recognising a basic truth: work doesn’t make us happy No more croaky, fake phone-in-sick voice for the employees of one regional Chinese supermarket chain: the founder of Pang Dong Lai, Yu Donglai, is offering employees up to 10 days’ “unhappiness leave”. “I want every staff member to have freed…

From dementia to mild cognitive impairment, many of us are terrified of what ageing will do our minds. But none of this is inevitable – especially if we look after our bodies Like a lot of people who are getting on, I find myself wondering about my brain. If I mislay my glasses, or struggle with a name, is it just common-or-garden forgetfulness – the sort of slip I might have made well before hit…

She wants to change restaurant culture from within – and her thrilling memoir showing sexism and a culture of fear in some kitchens shows why • Read an extract from Sally Abé’s A Woman’s Place Is in the Kitchen When people started to tell Sally Abé that she was brave for writing a memoir, she was perplexed. “I was like, why ? And they said, well, what if everyone hates you?” Her book, A Woman’s P…

The author on how his mission to improve our national diet began – and where it needs to go Chris van Tulleken has suggested we meet at his local pizza place, Sweet Thursday, in Hackney, east London. If the choice seems counterintuitive for a man with a mission to improve our national diet, he puts me right when we sit down. “Pizza has become emblematic of junk food,” he says, “but proper homemad…

In the coastal city of Essaouira, our writer masters the ceremonial art of tea-pouring and learns how to make flaky chicken pastilla and gazelle horns with almond paste and orange blossom water It is early morning on the edge of Essaouira’s medina and the famous Atlantic winds are picking up. The sea looks tawny and wild, the sky is darkening by the minute. It begins to rain, heavily. Even the wi…

Meet four couples who are married to each other – and the job. Yes, it can get shouty, but knowing your partner so well brings unexpected benefits, both to the working relationship and to time at home Chris Cartlidge and Lucy Khan Continue reading...

Ghofran Hamza is on a solo mission to bring glorious Syrian cuisine to lucky mid-Wales Arabic Flavour , 4 Northgate Street, Aberystwyth SY23 2JS (01970 228 078). Starters and meze £4.75-£8.25, mains £14.50-£18.95, desserts £2.95-£7.75, wines from £21 Occasionally, during the wait for our starters at Arabic Flavour , one of us would pop off to the loo; a moment of magical thinking perhaps, in whic…

Pods, campervans, bell tents and even Star Wars domes feature in our round-up of sites set in glorious countryside from the South Downs to the Hebrides Wild Canvas , one of the recent wave of pop-up campsites with a festival vibe , has a host of new additions for its fifth outing this summer. The campsite makes the most of its riverside setting on the Turvey House Estate near Bedford. It has a ne…

Sometimes you just want a good, basic, old-school product Basic is a word we are used to hearing in derogatory terms: anything referred to as “basic” is mediocrity at its worst. But basic has its place. For instance, when it comes to lip products. The industry has really pushed the needle on lip-care, so that our lips are being treated to as much attention as our face. You can now get lip oils, s…

Your brain is wired to need order to feel safe, he should respect that The question I am mid-40s and married. My husband is good at dealing with life. He never worries, is never insecure, always positive, has unlimited energy and always has a solution for everything. He deals with our kids seemingly without effort, doesn’t set many rules and never worries if they eat enough vegetables or go to be…

Fluid silhouettes and soft summer tailoring, Gap’s collaboration with California clothing label DÔEN, and Blenheim Palace’s latest exhibition Continue reading...