On Monday morning I was in a blind panic. The deadline for posted manuscript entries to the Daily Mail First…

The younger grandson, Klynton, four, has got in the habit recently of thrusting his hands in my trouser pockets and…

The younger grandson, Klynton, four, has got in the habit recently of thrusting his hands in my trouser pockets and…

While I was in Provence, my hostess and I went out one day for a walk in the hills. We…

While I was in Provence, my hostess and I went out one day for a walk in the hills. We…

I shared a taxi from Cheltenham station to the house party in an outlying village with a stripper. Finding a…

I shared a taxi from Cheltenham station to the house party in an outlying village with a stripper. Finding a…

I walk into the King Bill at eight o’clock and the usual young Friday-night crowd is in and the spirit…

I walk into the King Bill at eight o’clock and the usual young Friday-night crowd is in and the spirit…

Nice airport was more or less deserted. Two-and-a-half hours early for the easyJet flight to Gatwick, I had a leisurely…

Nice airport was more or less deserted. Two-and-a-half hours early for the easyJet flight to Gatwick, I had a leisurely…

Before we left for Sunday lunch at the Les Deux Garçons restaurant, Aix-en-Provence, I checked the reviews on Tripadvisor. I’m…

Before we left for Sunday lunch at the Les Deux Garçons restaurant, Aix-en-Provence, I checked the reviews on Tripadvisor. I’m…

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer with metastases in April 2013. It was a bit of a shock, but when…

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer with metastases in April 2013. It was a bit of a shock, but when…

In the Foreign Legion’s Museum of Memory at Aubagne, near Marseilles, I examined the kit, weapons and uniforms from the…

In the Foreign Legion’s Museum of Memory at Aubagne, near Marseilles, I examined the kit, weapons and uniforms from the…

The hotel reception was lit by three gloomy low-wattage light bulbs. It should have been six but the management was…

The hotel reception was lit by three gloomy low-wattage light bulbs. It should have been six but the management was…

Denis was my guide to and from the new out-of-town Lidl superstore at Salernes in Provence. I drove. The road…

Denis was my guide to and from the new out-of-town Lidl superstore at Salernes in Provence. I drove. The road…

Roy was a superb mechanic, a methodical master of his trade. For an hour I respectfully watched him work to…

Roy was a superb mechanic, a methodical master of his trade. For an hour I respectfully watched him work to…

Putting old or contaminated petrol in a car needn’t be catastrophic, but in the Golf’s case it was. With 37,000…

Putting old or contaminated petrol in a car needn’t be catastrophic, but in the Golf’s case it was. With 37,000…