CURVE APPEAL

In two hours I’ll be in the MG hurtling down to Kent, then Calais, then Lyon and finally the Provence for a seven glorious days of laziness. My pre-holiday preening has had little effect. The extra gym visits might have made me a millimetre more perky, my spray tan left me a little more glowing and my vacation wardrobe given me a touch more élan, but truthfully, I'm now on the final and most essential aspect of the pre-vacation ritual: acceptance and adoration.

So on Wednesday, when I finally peel down to a bikini to bask alongside a handful of svelte lovelies, I will still be proud of my body regardless- for being strong, curvy, womanly and mine.