I got a message from a lovely 15 year old girl called Fabvinne who is an amazing 6’2”. We had a few email exchanges about being so tall when you’re a teenager and how to cope with it.

I was about 6’ at 15 and went on to grow another inch! People always assume you’re delighted to be tall, but in my experience it can take time to grow into your height. I was definitely a tall introvert when I was young, so I was always trying to disguise myself with flat shoes and lots of black.

OK, my top tall tips… posture, posture, posture. I know, you don’t want to hear this, especially if your Mum’s been nagging since you were small, but tall people tend to slouch and if, like me, you’ve got boobs, you might be tempted to slouch even more. Ballet or yoga are definitely the answer. I did a yoga class every week for two years in my 20s and it changed my back completely. Now people compliment me on my posture! Sitting up straight comes naturally (shock!) I definitely think it looks better. Walking tall is the way to go, even if you are a foot taller than everyone else around.

If you are a tall person who loves heels: great, fantastic, go for it! Personally, I don’t really need the extra two inches. I feel freakish. I bump my head on doorways. I like one inch at the most. But my flat shoes must be pointy, this looks best on big feet.

Above the knee skirts and tight trousers, yes, I like. If you have 36 inches of leg, you might as well flaunt it. I never wear long dresses, because I look like a column. Even long, for me, ends well above the ankle.

Don’t get me started on finding trousers long enough. Only really Top Shop Tall and Long Tall Sally do them long enough. Most men’s trousers are sold un-hemmed and I am kind of outraged that this can’t be done for women’s trousers too. In fact, men’s jackets and men’s shirts often come in short, regular and long. Why not ours?!

I do use an alterations service to make jacket and coat sleeves long enough and I buy blouses with men’s style double cuffs and wear them unfolded, a good way to get a long enough sleeve.

My favourite tall shops not yet mentioned: Mango clothes are long enough in the sleeve and the body, Hobbs have tiny clothes but a great selection of size 8 and 9 shoes, I also like Uniqlo and Banana Republic. Then there are posh clothes. It does sadly seem to be that the bigger the price tag, the longer things are.

Now just a little advice on shorter men… when I first set eyes on my husband what went through my mind was: ‘cute but too short’ so I risked ruling him out – which would have been a very bad thing! If he stands very, very straight, he’s almost 5’10” but he loves the fact that I’m taller than him, so I don’t slouch, stand on one hip, lean sideways or try to appear smaller in his company.

Stand tall and learn to love your height!

The freezing, freezing weather continues. I can’t take it any more. I am a summer person, or more like an all-year-round tropical person, trapped in the fifth month of a never ending Scottish winter.

Every day I bundle myself up into thermal long johns, jeans, sheepskin boots, thermal top, woollen jumper, fleece hoodie (oh the glamour… you can see why I write about department stores and fashion, can’t you?) I practically sit on top of the heater at my computer and mainline tea, but I’m still cold, deeply, bone-chillingly cold, most of the time. I may even get those fingerless mitts to use at the keyboard… actually no, that would be sad.

Apparently, according to my exercise-ist husband, this is because I need to get fitter and get the blood circulating round my chilly, long limbs. I say: ‘yes I will go to the gym, I will go out for a run, just as soon as it’s bit warmer out there!’ Until then, I am sitting on top of my radiator with a cup of tea and not moving.

My dog, Jimmy, feels the same. He is so cold some days that he wraps himself up in his fleece blankies and will only come out for food.

He’s right, February should be declared National Duvet Month and we should all just be allowed to stay at home and do a Jimmy until it is over.

March already!! What have I been doing?? Hibernating. No other word for it. It’s been dark, it’s been cold, it’s been a very wet and windy winter. So apart from dog walks, I’ve been indoors tucked up in a pair of knee-high sheepskin boots and a floor-length cardigan bashing away at the keyboard. (And people think being a writer is so glamorous!)

My desk always has three mugs of tea on it. The one I’m currently drinking, the one I finished some time ago and the one left here from yesterday. At least once every few hours I take a sip from the wrong one which is just not good.

Winter doesn’t end up here until April. No one ever believes me, but it’s true! Just this week we have had snow and vicious winds which blew the trampoline right over the fence and into the neighbour’s garden, so I’m not quite planning my summer wardrobe or Spring cleaning schedule just yet.

Not that there will be much Spring cleaning going on here as we are still somewhere in the middle of renovation… I’d like to say ‘hell’ but I shouldn’t. I definitely should not moan about the trial of redecorating because one day the house will be really beautiful and although living through the process is annoying, very grubby and let’s not even talk about expensive, it is still a nice problem to have.

The plaster may be falling off the walls, the joists dodgy, the guttering leaking, the windowsills rotten, but it is just such an amazing view! (Yes, that is the sound of my husband weeping in the background.)

What I’m doing this month:

Re-reading The Price of Water in Finistere by Bodil Malmsten, which I love.

Getting a sneak preview read of My Vintage Summer by Jane Elmor (it’s out in June)

Definitely making time to read The House at Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse (promise, Lucie!)

Eating too many Easter eggs. Yes, I know it’s not even Easter yet!

And because of the eggs… forcing myself to go back to the gym. It’s been so long, I didn’t recognise my trainers. Thought they were someone else’s.