Life
Sussex pond pudding
I always feel pulled toward citrus at the start of the year. Initially it was subconscious: I’d just find myself…
Great Scott’s
Scott’s, Richmond, is a fish, champagne and oyster bar, and a new branch of Scott’s, Mayfair. The original Scott’s was…
See you at the rugby world cup, Eddie
Something is happening here, and you do know what it is, don’t you Mr Jones? Stargazers – and even some…
The cynicism of Steve Baker
About ten years ago I thought seriously about becoming a Conservative MP. I jumped through a series of hoops and…
Real life
The nurse fixed me with a disapproving stare: ‘Why is there such a gap between these prescriptions?’ I had gone…
Low life
Standing at the door was a hospital porter. He was resting an elbow on the back of a heavily padded…
Aussie life
Anyone reading this magazine for the first time, unaware of its dual citizenship, might easily form the impression that it…
Language
For some time, the universities of the world have been at the forefront of cancel culture—trying to put woke blinkers…
Hoping for the best
In Competition No. 3281, you were invited to provide 16 lines of cheerful welcome to 2023 in the metre of…
Maths problems
Recently Chinese 11-year-olds faced the following question in a maths exam. ‘If a ship has 26 sheep and ten goats…
