Life
Straik
I’m very glad I followed a friend’s recommendation to read The Bird of Dawning by John Masefield, an author neglected…
Real life
Coffee shops are becoming impossible. I had been standing in the queue at Caffè Nero on Battersea Rise for nearly…
Allardyce’s sacking was not just
The other day Sam Allardyce was photographed with Sir Alex Ferguson at a Manchester United Champions League match at Old…
In defence of Zac Goldsmith
I’m baffled by the reaction to Zac Goldsmith’s decision to resign as the Conservative MP for Richmond Park. It is…
In defence of Zac Goldsmith
I’m baffled by the reaction to Zac Goldsmith’s decision to resign as the Conservative MP for Richmond Park. It is…
The switchers
‘He’s such a good competitor. He works so hard and he deserves it,’ said his predecessor Lewis Hamilton after Nico…
The switchers
‘He’s such a good competitor. He works so hard and he deserves it,’ said his predecessor Lewis Hamilton after Nico…
Bridge
The Gold Cup Finals were played in London this year and proved to be very exciting but ultimately unsuccessful for…
Wild life
Kenya A woman’s bottom cheered me up recently. The lady was walking ahead of me in a Kenya street and…
Driverless cars will make your life worse
On the face of it, there’s something quite appealing about driverless cars. It will be like having a chauffeur-driven chariot…
High life
New York Antonio Cromartie is one of the numerous professional and amateur athletes in America who now refuse to stand…
Real life
After the Fawlty Towers incident, I decided it was best to research the origin and extraction of all future B&B…
Psephology
The polls are in for next month’s big event in the USA and Magnus Carlsen has emerged the clear favourite…
Puzzle no. 431
White to play. This position is a variation from Carlsen-Karjakin, Monaco 2011. Although White is a rook up he only…
Low life
In 1999 I went to the doctor about the impotence. Don’t worry, he said. I have good news for you.…
Ig Nobel
In Competition No. 2970 you were invited to supply an extract from an Ig Nobel Prize-winner’s speech that describes the…
Long life
‘Welcome, Mr Chancellor, to the Age UK community,’ said the voice. It was a warm, friendly woman’s voice, but bearing…
Bridge
I felt like an absolute hypocrite the other week. Sally Brock’s team had just beaten Alexander Allfrey’s in the semi-finals…
2283: Be damned
The unclued lights (one of two words, one of three and-another of four components) are of a kind. Chambers gives…
to 2280: Acorns
The unclued lights are famous British OAK trees. First prize Gerry Fairweather, Layer Marney, Essex Runners-up Mrs L. Ashley, Shoreham-by-Sea,…
The Battle for Britain
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Cruel boy errors
Perhaps you are slightly concerned about your son. At present he is sitting in the crawlspace beneath your home wearing…
Dear Mary
Q. Next month, four of us from university are going up on a wildfowling trip north of Inverness. We are…
The sacred mission to stop real whisky becoming too popular
A long-standing friend of mine is a lucky fellow. He has spent his career doing exactly what he was born…
The origins of Marmite and Bovril
‘How can Bovril be suitable for vegetarians?’ asked my husband. ‘Bo- comes from bos, Latin for an ox.’ He was…
