Shortly after she told her husband that she wanted to end their 10-year marriage, Sam Brindle would sit on the sofa drinking six beers she had bought from the shop. She was wracked with guilt about how this might ruin their four children’s lives and leave her husband broken-hearted.

Fast forward five years and Brindle is helping women like herself pick up the pieces and find a new life post-divorce. The 43-year-old former trade emissary for the British Consulate in Barcelona has reinvented herself as a divorce coach for expats living in Spain.

Shorts

The UK has one of the most stable electricity grids in the world.

But no country’s energy system is 100 per cent secure and large-scale blackouts, although rare, are possible.

Here’s how to prepare, and what could happen, if we do have a blackout.

The immediate effects

If the UK’s power went down tomorrow, these are the ways it is likely to impact you first.

• You’d get stuck in lifts, wherever you are in the lift shaft.
• Trains would be stopped as the signals depend on electricity.
• Traffic lights would stop working on the roads – leading to congestion or crashes.
• Contactless payments are likely to fail.
• Your Wi-Fi at home would stop working and communication becomes difficult.
• Fridges and freezers will turn off – unless you have a standalone generator – and food will spoil over time.
• Hospitals and water treatment works have their own backup generators so will keep going until their supply runs out.

How transport would be affected

For EV owners that are already on the road, Professor Keith Bell, who works in electricity planning, recommends that those with an EV with reasonable charge use it as a generator, like your own store of electricity.

In the case of the power system going down, petrol isn’t a totally safe option as queues at petrol stations could be huge and places are likely to run out of fuel.

The longer term effects

The longer the power takes to return the worse things are likely to get. In 2021 Storm Arwen physically damaged power lines across the UK.

During the 1977 New York blackout, which lasted 25 hours, there was civil unrest, resulting in widespread looting and arson, although intense heatwaves are thought to have exacerbated the situation.

Things to buy now to prepare

Battery radio

To get updates during a power cut – a car radio can be used, but in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside.

Bottled water

A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended.

Wind-up torch

The Government recommends opting for torches over candles, for safety reasons.

How to prepare

A blackout is unlikely but we should make small changes.

• If possible, don’t let your petrol tank run down to almost empty. Keep it over half full so you’re never caught short.
• Always have a portable power bank, and spare batteries, to charge your phone and other essentials.
• As card machines could fail, keep some cash at home.
• To keep yourself distracted and entertained, keep board games and a pack of cards handy to play.

Eight easy ways to stop
your child spending summer glued to their devices

Not all screen time is bad

Using screens in a way that benefits your child’s development is key and balancing educational content and entertainment with offline activities ensures a well-rounded routine.

DR GUMMER

How to keep your kids off screens

Outdoor activities

For younger children, try scavenger hunts, garden games and nature walks. For older ones, hikes
and biking trips.

Create a schedule

Designated screen-free times helps children develop a routine that balances screen use with other activities.

Family game nights

It’s an excellent way
to bond and develop critical thinking skills.

How to keep your kids off screens

Creative hobbies

Getting creative, through drawing, painting or model construction, enhances cognitive skills and offers an alternative to screens.

Social interaction

Arrange playdates or group activities with friends, or for older kids try an overnight camping trip in the garden.

How to keep your kids off screens

Lead by example

Showing that you value offline time encourages your children to do the same.

Have a reward

Implement a reward system where screen time is earned through positive behaviour. 

Open conversations

Discuss the importance of balancing screen time with your children so they understand the reasons behind the rules.

Can following a particular diet
help prevent or delay dementia? 

Some studies suggest so.

These are the eight brain-boosting foods registered dietitian Fareeha Jay
recommends people consume as part of a weekly diet…

Foods that can cut dementia risk

Eggs

They contain several nutrients thought to support brain health, including choline, vitamin B12 and iodine.

Coffee

Caffeine can reduce inflammation and
slow the degeneration
of brain cells.

Broccoli

It’s packed with antioxidants and high in vitamin K, which is essentially for healthy brain cells.

Fibre is overlooked in dementia prevention

• To increase fibre intake, include wholegrains, nuts, seeds, lentils, and legumes.
• Fermented foods also support brain health by improving the gut microbiome.

LIFESTYLE

4 min read

Foods that can cut dementia risk

Oily fish

Your brain uses Omega-3s to build brain and nerve cells – so a diet rich in them may slow age-related mental decline.

Walnuts

These improve heart health markers, which is linked to a lower risk of neurological disorders.

Blueberries

They contain compounds which have been shown to improve blood flow to the brain, cognitive function, and memory.

The Mind diet

The diet aims to reduce dementia risk and the decline in brain health. 

• It was created in 2015 by Dr Martha Clare Morris and colleagues at Rush University Medical Centre and the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
• It encourages vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, olive oil, fish, beans, and poultry.
• These foods contain nutrients that promote good brain health by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.

Feeling insecure at work
in your 50s? You’re not alone

The final decades of work

There’s this assumption about being put out to pasture… but now that we’re living and working longer, we have to challenge myths around ageing and remember that over-50s are a crucial part of the workforce…

LYNDSEY SIMPSON, AUTHOR OF AGE REBELLION AND FOUNDER OF 55/REDEFINED

The current situation

By 2030, almost half of all employees in the UK workforce will be over 50.

36%

Now one in three workers are over 50. 

Yet more than a third of those between 50 and 69 believe that their age puts them at a disadvantage when they apply for jobs. 

37%

The Age Without Limits study from 2024 shows that 37 per cent of workers between 51 to 70 felt badly treated in work because of their age.

The things to do, says Simpson

Keep learning new skills

We need the same level of career planning in
our fifties as our twenties. It’s possible to reinvent yourself again.

Embrace technology

It’s nonsense that older people can’t pick up how to use new tech.

Think about money

Do you need a pay rise? Could you trade some of that money you earn, to work a bit less, and do more things you enjoy?

The things not to do

Become full-time childcare

Grandparenting on the horizon? If you don’t want to do childcare, have the conversation early – even before a child becomes pregnant – that you plan to continue working and love your job.

Accept redundancy too quickly

It’s going to be so much harder to get back into work if you don’t have a plan before you take that leap.

The things not to do

Rush into retirement

Everybody thinks early retirement is the dream but the reality can be different. There can be loneliness, lack of purpose and a sense of invisibility. 

LIFESTYLE

5 min read

By November, UK food prices will be 50 per cent higher than they were at the start of the cost-of-living crisis 

With that in mind, food editor Sophie Morris shares how she saves money on her weekly shop

Easy ways to save on the weekly shop

Avoid chicken breast

Boneless chicken thighs are all meat and a much tastier product.

Don’t plan everything

If you plan every meal all week, there’s no leeway for necessary last-minute changes of plan (or leftovers).

Shop alone

There are so many products that children want to fill the trolley with – all kinds of exciting eye candy. It’s cheaper to go alone.

Easy ways to save on the weekly shop

Consider a vegetable box delivery

Having a Riverford box delivery helps Morris avoid impulse buys and go to the shops
less – even though the box is pricey. “It is expensive, but of great quality and organic”.

Track your spending

It doesn’t need to be an elaborate spreadsheet but without some kind of metric, it’s impossible to spot where you
can or must make cutbacks.

Easy ways to save on the weekly shop

Look for yellow stickers

You can save plenty
over a year by never buying branded products at full price.

Take stock

Do a quick cupboard stocktake. You might find you already have three jars of one thing.

Avoid packaged snacks

Packing fruit, biscuits, and nuts etc into a Tupperware to take out is more cost effective than buying tiny packaged portions.

Easy ways to save on the weekly shop

Be wary of DIY treats

“Faking” a takeaway at home can sound like a cheaper option, but if it’s something you don’t usually cook – that needs new ingredients – it could work out pricier.

Do you need it now?

Returning a few things to the shelves that you won’t need in the near future can save you a healthy amount.

Skip a shop

Every time you make do with what’s at home,
you save big.

Easy ways to save on
the weekly shop

Try a week or a month of shopping local,
and you might be surprised at the results,
in terms of cost and other benefits like supporting local businesses, and
avoiding car journeys and traffic.

• Go shopping when you’re not in a huge rush so you can make relaxed and informed decisions. Don’t expect to stick to your plan or make great choices when you’re in a hurry. 

Brindle believes there are more expat women leaving their marriages. “It is very anecdotal,” she says. “The women I have met through work seem similar to me, and getting divorced does not seem impossible to them. For a lot of local women, it seems alien.”

Last year, divorces in Spain fell by 11.7 per cent compared with 2024 (this decrease has been blamed on a lack of money trapping couples in unhappy relationships), but this is in sharp contrast to the global expat community, who face a significantly higher risk of divorce. Some estimates have found that divorce rates among expats are 49 per cent higher than couples who do not relocate.

They might be more emboldened to file for divorce, but the emotional shock leaves expat women more vulnerable than they would be at home in Britain; they are left without family to offer support and living in an unfamiliar country can make trying to negotiate a fair separation tricky.

Brindle knows only too well the journey these women are on. When she moved out of the family home in 2021, she felt isolated. “I did not know who to tell,” she says. “I just wallowed in my own self-pity for a while. When I met my husband, I had no idea who I was. I was a party girl, the life and soul of the party. It wasn’t necessarily the happiest time of my life. I wasn’t at peace,” Brindle remembers. “When you grow with someone, you change. I never really discovered who I was. There was never time for me to sit down [and reflect].”

“Our partnership was great as a family but not as a couple,” she says. “It was the first time that I thought, ‘This is not what I want any more’. But I thought, this is crazy, ‘You have four children, you will ruin their lives, what will people think?’”

Brindle, who lives near Barcelona but is originally from Lancaster, moved to Spain in 2007. She married Dani, who is Catalan. The Catalan divorce law differs from the UK system, where a couple’s homes and other possessions are usually split 50-50. In Catalonia, what counts is what is in a person’s name legally: “If a house is in the name of the husband, it stays with the husband.” In Brindle’s case, she only owned a car outright. The couple had a lot of things in common, which they divided as equally as possible.

“The logistics were literally an Excel sheet [from which] we added and subtracted. It was one of the worst parts of the divorce. It was painstaking, and it felt ridiculous,” she says. “It was nitpicking over bunkbeds and kitchen appliances.” Like a majority of expats, Brindle had no relatives nearby to support her.

“The other point is you don’t have your family around you. If you live in the same town or even if you have moved to the UK, there is a sense of ‘I understand this world’. It is like speaking your own language,” Brindle says.

Lesley* is also battling with the end of her 20-year marriage to her British businessman husband. The 47-year-old designer said the legal system in Catalonia is weighed against women. “Catalonia works on a ‘separation of goods’ scheme, which means assets are individually owned unless jointly acquired. From what I see, this is not the case in the UK. There seems to be much more emphasis on fairness principles and equity,” she said.

“From what I have experienced, even though I worked part-time and did most of the childcare through our 20-year marriage, this ‘work’ is not deemed equal to working full time and bringing in a larger salary,” she says. “Despite the fact I brought nearly €750,000 in capital to the marriage, which was not taken into account at all in the division of assets and I was not entitled to half of my husband’s assets, which were in his sole name.” Had they not relocated, it’s likely Lesley would’ve been entitled to a fair split of the couple’s assets.

She was unable to reclaim her inheritance, which was used to buy a property in both their names. The only way to get this back would have been to battle through the courts, a process that in Spain can drag on and be costly. Lesley was denied spousal maintenance as she was not sufficiently dependent on her ex-husband. “It seems the UK is more flexible and Catalonia more structured,” she adds.

Catherine* faced very different challenges when she went through a difficult divorce. The 38-year-old plumber, originally from Bristol but has lived in Spain for 10 years, married her husband two years after meeting him near Barcelona. The couple has a five-year-old son. “I felt like I really lost who I was or what I wanted in life. My mission had become to try to keep the peace. The more I tried, the more I failed,” she remembers.

“We attended therapy for two years. It was hard to leave as I was locked into what I now know to be a trauma bond. Just as I reached my limit, the most charming and fun version of him would return and I was left feeling positively crazy. Had I imagined the last two weeks of hell? In the end our therapist helped me break free by making me see I had to leave.”

A fluent Spanish speaker, she could navigate her way through the legal process, but other challenges were harder. “We had a young child. I would be trapped in a Spanish village for the next 18 years. I would lose my freedom to live anywhere else, and the thought paralysed me,” she says. She could not move back with her parents, and her support network was limited.

“[Being an immigrant] can feel like jumping without a safety net. Being self-employed in Spain is expensive and I feel financial pressures intensely now,” Catherine admits.

Thankfully, her friends became her family in the worst moments. “My one piece of advice to anyone divorcing abroad: lean into your friends and community before you decide to leave,” she says. “I did this in those two years of ‘trying’, which meant by the time I did leave, I had much deeper, richer friendships around me.”

*Names have been changed