Imagine a swimsuit that has the ability to create the illusion of instant inch-loss.

Kind of like Sue Storm, aka Invisible Woman, but with the power of selective invisibility. Oh the joy of being able to hide lumps and bumps at will! How to look good in a swimsuit?!

Guess what? Debenhams say they have got a figure sculpting swimsuit designed according to the measurements of 5,000 British women.

And not just one but a whole range of swimsuits that accentuate the good bits and smoothe the lumpy bits. We can’t all be superheroes but we can all wear magic garments that trick the body into a different shape.

The ‘Slimsuit’ is constructed from two layers of fabric – the inner layer is made from a specially designed heavier gage lining fabric which does the miracle work, while the outer layer is a slinky micro fibre which gives the suit a glamorous appearance.

Combining shapewear with traditional padded swimwear, moulded bust supports lift and separates breasts in a similar way to a bra.

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Some parts of the United States and Canada are reported to have seen a dramatic rise in the length of their allergy seasons, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The burning question has to be “is global warming affecting my allergy?”

The study reports that in northern areas including Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Canada, Winnipeg in Manitoba, Fargo in North Dakota and Minneapolis in Minnesota, the pollen season was up to 27 days longer in 2009 than the same period in 1995.

Further south, however, in Rogers, Arkansas and Georgetown, Texas, pollen seasons were shortened by several days.

The study compared the pattern of changes in pollen season length with the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projections of global warming, and found that they correlated with the more intense areas of warming seen closer to the Arctic.

The authors reported: “Latitudinal effects on increasing season length were associated primarily with a delay in first frost of the fall season and lengthening of the frost-free period.”

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In a previous life, I started the day with twenty sun salutations and a meditative run around my local park, but in recent months, chasing small children around softplay areas is about as close as I have come to serious exercise.

Lately, however, the yoga mat has started waving at me from the back of the wardrobe, so I’ve started looking for something new and exciting to motivate me into getting it out.

As a non-practicing Buddhist with yogic tendencies, I’m always on the lookout for a new exercise regime or way of life that might transform me into a calmer, more controlled version of myself, so it’s not surprising that The DeRose Method caught my attention.

Devised in the 1960s by Brazil-born Luiz DeRose, The DeRose Method is described at derosemethod.co.uk as “a bundle of concepts and techniques that aim at improving well-being and quality of life.”

Says Master DeRose: “The DeRose Method is a proposal of life style coaching emphasizing good quality of life, good manners, good human relations, good culture, good nourishment and good shape”.

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One thing I’ve learned since having children that I will take with me long after they have grown up is the many uses of baby wipes.

Aside from their intended use, they are brilliant for cleaning around the house (I have a friend who cleans the hob with hers), safe for gently wiping down a leather sofa, and a cheaper alternative to adult facial cleansing wipes.

I’ve also been advised by the owner of a wedding outfitter that baby wipes are ideal for cleaning marks off the dress on the big day because they don’t leave a mark behind.

A quality that isn’t shared by your average wet wipe, as I found out when using a grown-up version to clean banana milkshake off my daughter’s white party dress, only to find I was adding more yellow stain than I was taking off!

It is true to say that I never leave home without them, whether I’m accompanied by children or not.

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I’ve long been an advocate of doing the weekly grocery shop online.

Since having a family, not only have the lists got longer and the bags got heavier, but newborn babies and screaming toddlers (or both at once) are the best excuses for staying as far away from the supermarket as possible.

Plus, I figure it makes more environmental sense for the lorry to drop my shopping off on its rounds than for me to make a special trip to and from the supermarket just for one household, and I get away without using any bags at all because the nice delivery people bring it straight to the kitchen.

So all in all, I’m an online shopping fan.

In an ideal world, though, I’d prefer not have to do the shopping at all. I’d rather have an automated stock-checking system that updates my shopping basket when something gets used up, without me even having to think about it.

Or a tiny shopping fairy in my kitchen that sends a tinkling sparkly signal to my e-basket each time an empty box gets put in the recycling.

So imagine my surprise last week when I logged on to Tesco.com to find that the shopping fairy actually does exist, and had already done half of my shopping for me!

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