Fi Phillips

We have a double whammy of romance this week. At the weekend, it's Valentine's Day, and tomorrow sees the release of the film of the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey. My husband says that I'm not romantic. I don't make grand gestures with rose petal strewn beds and silk negligees (for me, not him). When he asks what romance is to me, I have to admit that I'm a tad stumped. I think that we've come to connect romance with events such as Valentine's Day (when supposedly you should be especially 'romantic') and cliches such as chocolates, flowers and dinner dates. However nice that might be, it all seems a little shallow. Romance has always seemed to me to be the icing on the cake of something that goes much deeper, an enduring connection that sees past the fripperies of presents and passion. If you push me to identify my kind of romance then I'd have to say that I find romance in seeing your partner for who they really are, through good tim...

Well, three, if you add Joseph Fiennes . As you'll probably have guessed already, I love a good cup of coffee. What you may not know is that one of my favourite novels is Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy - a classical novel of romance, passion, tragedy and how the passing of the seasons can rule our lives. So when I found out that the coffee maker Carte Noire were featuring on their website podcasts of actors such as Joseph Fiennes, Greg Wise and Dominic West, reading from classic books that include 'Far from the madding crowd' and ' Sense and Sensibility ', I was delighted. Carte Noire will even send you a free sample of their coffee and a bookmark, if you fill in your details here . Cue my first session this morning of coffee and Joseph *sigh*, what a girl will do to get a little culture.