Molly Oldfield hosts Everything Under the Sun, a podcast answering children’s questions. Do check out her books, Everything Under the Sun and the new Everything Under the Sun: Quiz Book.

In the days before my father-in-law’s funeral, my wife and I drive to his cottage in the country with the dogs. Our schedule – shredded and hastily reassembled around events – has a window just big enough to go down there, check on things, do the front hedge, weed a bit. It seems important, even if it probably isn’t.

Shortly after we arrive a visitor remarks on the decline of the old dog.

“Really?” my wife says. “I guess we don’t notice.”

Since we were last here the old dog – now nearly 16 – has certainly become more wobbly, more incontinent and more prone to falling asleep suddenly, in strange places. But

Anastasia, 31

There was an occasion when we had sex eight times in one day – we still call it our dirty weekend

Ricky and I have been together for 12 years and married for three. I still think about the first time we had sex – it was incredible. I remember thinking: how is this our first time? Because in my experience first times had always been a bit awkward.

It was so instantly fun and pleasurable, and felt very safe straight away. Ricky seemed so confident, and I thought: this guy must really know what he’s doing. It was only later that I found out he hadn’t slept with many

It’s been a salad kind of summer so far. Hot days spent camping with friends, impromptu picnics in the park, afternoons watching the tennis, reading in the garden with Test Match Special on in the background. Food has had to fit around summer life and, of all the meals, this has been one of the best. It has summer etched into the heart of it in that it’s fresh, flavourful and good for feeding a crowd. It’s a (very) wild take on Laotian crispy rice salad and is abundant with herbs, garden vegetables and, crucially, there’s barely any “cooking” involved at all.

Summer crispy rice salad with tofu, lime and