Life
Valentine’s triolet
In Competition No. 2935 you were invited to submit a Valentine’s triolet. A famous example of the triolet is Frances…
Your problems solved
Q. I love my boyfriend but he has a terrible habit I was unaware of before he moved in. If…
Italian cuts
Sartoria is a pale grey restaurant on Savile Row. As evidence that this is London’s destination street — if menswear…
High life
Gstaad The locals here in the beautiful Saanen valley are split over the migrant crisis. Switzerland does not belong…
Long life
It had been many years since I had seen anything of Andreas Whittam Smith, but he popped up on the…
Long life
It had been many years since I had seen anything of Andreas Whittam Smith, but he popped up on the…
Low life
In the Foreign Legion’s Museum of Memory at Aubagne, near Marseilles, I examined the kit, weapons and uniforms from the…
Low life
In the Foreign Legion’s Museum of Memory at Aubagne, near Marseilles, I examined the kit, weapons and uniforms from the…
Creaky voice
My husband, not surprisingly, finds it extremely annoying. It, in this instance, is the use by women of creaky voice.…
Real life
My upstairs neighbours are terribly nice, but too naive to be allowed to renovate their flat in peace. The two…
Cricket needs the West Indies
In the north of Antigua, just by the medical school, is a neat little cricket ground. It was a bit…
Emma Thompson’s wrong, and not just about the EU
At first glance, Emma Thompson’s intervention in the Brexit debate earlier this week didn’t make much sense. Asked at the…
Emma Thompson’s wrong, and not just about the EU
At first glance, Emma Thompson’s intervention in the Brexit debate earlier this week didn’t make much sense. Asked at the…
King of the hills
There are now two Kings of the Marlborough Downs. Leading jumps trainer Alan King has long trained top horses at…
King of the hills
There are now two Kings of the Marlborough Downs. Leading jumps trainer Alan King has long trained top horses at…
Bridge
Pierre Zimmermann, Monaco’s uber-sponsor, has put another unmissable, thrilling tournament in the calendar. The first European Winter Games gave those…
Moral sainthood is a bore; sinners are much more fun
Gstaad I had the rather subversive idea of offering a six-figure sum to Oriel College, Oxford. On one condition: that…
Exit, pursued by drunk polar bear
The hotel reception was lit by three gloomy low-wattage light bulbs. It should have been six but the management was…
There is affordable healthcare the other side of the Hindhead tunnel
After the £1,100 quote from the vet in London I drove down the A3 and out the other side of…
Why I won’t be picking up litter for the Queen
I am sure that the Queen disapproves of litter as much as anyone else, but she’s hardly ever exposed to…
The marabou defecation was so voluminous that the sapeur was beyond salvation
Nairobi Nairobi’s old avenues were designed to be wide enough for a wagon and several span of oxen to U-turn…
Bridge
It’s got to be the most bizarre news story of the year: last week, no fewer than 50 Thai police…
Mighty Magnus
The world champion is back on form. After winning the overall laurels in last year’s Grand Tour, and taking first…
No. 395
White to play. This position is from Van Wely-Carlsen, Wijk aan Zee 2016. Carlsen had a lucky escape in this…
Now we are rich
In Competition No. 2934 you were invited to submit a poem suitable for inclusion in Now We are Rich. You…
