My husband and I have a joint email account, and the other day I was checking to see if I'd sent an email when I came across an email my husband had written to a friend. It read: "Thank you for listening to all my woes. This has, as you can imagine, been the most terrible worry for me, and you are the only person I can confide in." I have no idea what he was talking about – my husband doesn't have any worries that I know of. Do you think I should tackle him about it and find out what the problem is? Yours sincerely, Elisa

I was recently bicycling along past a neighbour's house when his dog came out and bit me. It wasn't just a nip. Eventually, as it became infected, I had to get hospital treatment. I feel angry because the dog's owner, an elderly man who's lived there for years, didn't seem to appreciate the severity of the attack, and rather brushed it off. I didn't go to the police because I didn't want the dog put down, but I still feel resentful. Was there anything I could have done – or should do now – to make this man feel more responsible? Yours sincerely, Ed

Dear Virginia, My partner committed suicide a month ago, by poisoning himself in our car. I have no idea why he did it. He seemed his normal self that morning and had no worries. My son and I are finding it very difficult to come to terms with, as you can imagine. But to make it worse, we live in a small village and people are starting to talk, spreading rumours that it was somehow my fault. Some of my son's school friends' parents have stopped speaking to him, as well. I don't know how I can cope. Life simply seems too difficult to continue. Yours sincerely, Clare

My friend suffers from depression and I feel very sorry for her. But recently I have got to the end of my tether. I arrange to meet her and then, at the last minute, she cancels, either making excuses or saying she's being pursued by the "black dog". Over the last six months we've made five plans to meet and on three occasions she's cried off. Last night was the worst as I'd asked other people around to meet her specially, then got a text saying "something's come up". I feel so sorry for her but get fed up being so often disappointed. All best, Hattie

I cannot believe I am writing with such a hackneyed problem but although I used to get on with my mother-in-law when we were first married, now I've had my first baby, I find her constant presence intrusive and irritating. Sometimes I could lose my temper completely. She's always round "trying to help" and sometimes I feel she's competing with me to be the mother of our baby. It's her first grandchild so I try to be understanding and I do love her, basically, but I want to tell her to back off without upsetting her. How can I do it? Yours sincerely, Jo

Twenty years ago, Romania's orphanages caused outrage around the world. What's happened since is a remarkable success story

My husband has the opportunity to take a job in the West Indies for a long-term contract. We estimate we should be there about 10 years. We have no intention of settling there for ever. The problem is that we have two small children. My husband argues that a change of culture will be good for them and will broaden their minds. My fear is that they will grow up rootless. And of course there are all the grandparents to consider, who are understandably upset about the idea of our going. What do you think? Yours sincerely, Joanna

I have been having an affair with a married man for more than a year, and recently he left his wife and children to move in with me. My problem is that his wife has now phoned me and she wants to meet me to talk about things. In one way I would like to meet her because I feel it will make arrangements with the children easier in the future – and also I'm curious! – but my partner is dead against it and flies into a rage if I suggest it. I'm tempted to see her behind his back. What do you think?

Ten years ago I had an abortion. I never thought I wouldn't one day get pregnant in the future and now I regret bitterly what I did. At the time I thought I wouldn't be able to look after it; the father was a violent man and the prospect of having to put up with him for the rest of my life, even only as a visiting father, made me scared. But now I keep thinking about "what might have been". It's too late now, at 42, to have a child – I've had tests and they say it's unlikely – and anyway I haven't got a man in my life. How can I ever get over the agonising feeling of having made such a big mistake in my past?

Yours sincerely, Judith

Dear Virginia, I don’t know what to do about my sister, who’s she’s three years olderthan me. Wemeet about twice a year and each time, she criticises me in front of mychildren, tries to include my husband in jokes that make fun of me, and constantly tellsme I’m hopeless and drags up old stories to illustrate it. I’ve tried to be friends, but itjust seems a hopeless task. Should I just cut her out of my life? Our kids get on fine andenjoy seeing their cousins, so it would be a shame. But each year I dread our meetingsand if I try to talk to her she says I’m paranoid and then laughs at me for it. Yours sincerely, Faye