Life
I offered Zac Goldsmith £50 to stay 20 feet away from me
I once tried to bribe Zac Goldsmith with a £50 note, but he didn’t bite even back then. He was…
My home Stoke Park has become a hotbed of sex and violence
When I’m not busy editing the Oldie magazine, I live near Towcester in south Northamptonshire where things are pretty unexciting.…
My home Stoke Park has become a hotbed of sex and violence
When I’m not busy editing the Oldie magazine, I live near Towcester in south Northamptonshire where things are pretty unexciting.…
Why Jesus sometimes plays a very long game
We closed the last page of a gruesome, thrilling picture book called The Day Louis Got Eaten and said our…
Why Jesus sometimes plays a very long game
We closed the last page of a gruesome, thrilling picture book called The Day Louis Got Eaten and said our…
Can politicians say ‘crusade’ again? David Cameron thinks so
One thing grabbed my attention from David Cameron’s speech, long ago in the middle of last week. ‘We need a…
Whoosh! I was addicted from the first gallop to the heavenly, godlike, immortal speed
The young lad behind the counter of the betting shop looked at me askance. ‘This horse is 200–1.’ ‘Yes. I…
I know who’s going to win the Rugby World Cup. I think
England did have some clear winners in their otherwise beached Rugby World Cup campaign in the unlikely form of Lawrence…
How I’d make a success of a nude-free Playboy
I can’t say that I’m surprised Playboy has decided to stop publishing pictures of naked women. On the contrary, I…
How I’d make a success of a nude-free Playboy
I can’t say that I’m surprised Playboy has decided to stop publishing pictures of naked women. On the contrary, I…
Be warned: the mighty Air Force Blue blows away all before him
I was both delighted and unsurprised that Denis Healey made it to 98. One day in the 1970s I took…
Be warned: the mighty Air Force Blue blows away all before him
I was both delighted and unsurprised that Denis Healey made it to 98. One day in the 1970s I took…
Bridge
Two weeks playing the Bermuda Bowl (world championships) in Chennai ended heartbreakingly for England’s awesome Open Team and their loyal…
Blood, sand and tragedy in Papa Hemingway and Ava Gardner country
Let’s take it from the top: Seville is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The capital of Andalusia,…
Happiness is a chainsaw and a maul in the rain and the mud
It rained all day long last Friday in Provence, and it rained all night, and on Saturday morning it was…
I rode my own racehorse and was changed for ever
‘The last owner who tried to ride his own horse got tanked,’ said the trainer, looking up at me as…
Oh, how I will miss the plastic bag!
It has taken years, but finally England has joined the rest of the United Kingdom and other countries around the…
Bridge
There’s no doubt about it: I’m an addict. A BBO addict. Since the Bermuda Bowl began, nearly a fortnight ago,…
Black death
Joseph Henry Blackburne was the leading British tournament player towards the end of the 19th century. It could be said…
Puzzle no. 382
White to play. This is from Blackburne-Schwarz, Berlin 1881. What is the best way to deal with the knight check?…
Threesome
In Competition No. 2918 you were invited to submit a poem composed entirely of three-letter words. ‘This is the most…
2232: Ups and downs
The unclued lights, in one case paired, are all suggested by a thematic phrase (two words), which is set out…
To 2229: Gnome
The PROVERB (35) (in ODQ), associated with the KENNEDY (19) FAMILY (31), was ‘A rising tide lifts all boats’. EDIT…
The weird truth about the word ‘normal’
‘Is Nicky Morgan too “normal” to be the next prime minister?’ asked someone in the Daily Telegraph. That would make…
Manchester has marvellous wines, and it’s not finished yet
It will seem an ungrateful comment after the lunch which I am about to describe, but Manchester has some way…
