Life and style | guardian.co.uk

Which mini animals make good pets?

Gallery (20 pictures): Micro pigs are this year's must-have pet. Which other miniature animals are suitable pets?

I tweeted about my miscarriage

When Penelope Trunk tweeted that she was sitting in a meeting having a miscarriage, she didn't anticipate the uproar
Give us a Ho!

'Tis the season when professional Father Christmases go back to Santa school. This year, hardened grump Tim Dowling went along
The top 10 UK curry houses

Gallery (10 pictures): Anna Tims scours the country for the most imaginative Indian food in the best locations
- Blog: The curry threat
Sexual healing

I am a 45-year-old virgin who has recently started dating. I'm worried that women will lose interest when they find out
- Private lives

Latest multimedia

Food & drink
Kidney's law: pot-roasted partridge

Video (7min 11sec): Chef Sonya Kidney heads to a local game dealer for a brace of partridge to pot roast with savoy cabbage and smoked bacon
Antony Worrall Thompson uses his loaf

A breadmaker with a timer so it comes on overnight? Whatever next, asks Alex Renton

Fashion & beauty
The X Factor hair scandal

Fashion Statement wonders whether Rachel Adedeji was the victim of a dastardly plot
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The return of tracksuit bottoms

Guilty secret no more, tracksuit bottoms are coming out of the closet, says Jess Cartner-Morley

Fashion store

Everything from exclusive designer labels to familiar high-street names
Reader offers

All your home, electrical and fashion needs met at bargain prices
Voucher codes

Our selection of the best discount voucher codes, including top brands
Eco store

A fabulous collection of ethical products, delivered to your door

Health & fitness
How to give up smoking

Combining two nicotine products could be the best way to kick the habit, a new study finds
- Why 'low-tar' cigarettes won't help
- More on smoking
'Something was horribly wrong'

When Tim Lusher began to feel sick, he thought it was a passing bug. In fact, he had a rare and potentially fatal brain abscess
Celebrity
Question time: Zoë Ball

The radio DJ talks about her new TV show, giving up drink and being pregnant again
A peek at the diary of Madonna

'I've been oddly drawn to Wallis Simpson, the super-lean, hard-faced American commoner who controversially married an Englisman'
- Madonna's handwash faux pas in Malawi
Women
'I love him, but he's probably not mine'

Maggie O'Farrell talks to women who fear they were implanted with somebody else's baby
A jealous libertine

Catherine Millet's first book graphically recounted her sexual adventures. But then her husband had an affair

Family & relationships
Dear Mariella

My partner, who's taken some pictures of me in my underwear, has kept naked photos of his ex. I want him to get rid of them, but don't know how to ask
Present tense

It's not how much you spend on a gift that counts, says Dr Luisa Dillner. It's how much effort you put into it
Homes & gardens
Can we garden? Yes we can!

Three cheers for the democratisation of gardening, says Lia Leendertz
- Anne Wareham: Not everyone can garden
Orchid care

Orchids are the most popular plants in the UK. Huma Qureshi explains how to help this flower to thrive
- Orchid named UK's most popular houseplant
Craft
Mark Thomas joins the guerrilla knitters

Darkness provides the perfect cover for a little mischief, as Mark Thomas finds out
Simple craft ideas for your garden

A wooden pallet, some newspaper and a find from Ikea spices up Isabel Hardman's garden in no time