Life
How to pick the perfect present
I had always attributed it to bad luck in the genetic lottery. I am three-eighths Welsh and a quarter Scottish,…
Battle for Britain
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Cognac and the Viking connection in la France profonde
The chestnut trees were still resplendent in yellow leaf along the banks of a misty autumn river on its glide…
Dear Mary solves problems for Jim Broadbent, N.M. Gwynne, Jesse Norman and others
Once again Mary has invited some of her favourite figures in the public eye to submit personal queries for her…
The curious language of Christmas carols
I could never understand as a little girl why we sang: ‘Away in a manger, no crib for a bed.’…
The answers
So they say 1. President François Hollande of France 2. Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, of Nick Clegg, the…
Christmas Quiz
So they say In 2014, who was quoted as saying:1. ‘There is no status for the partner of a head…
The answers
So they say 1. President François Hollande of France 2. Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, of Nick Clegg, the…
Christmas Quiz
So they say In 2014, who was quoted as saying:1. ‘There is no status for the partner of a head…
The heroes of Cognac
The chestnut trees were still resplendent in yellow leaf along the banks of a misty autumn river on its glide…
Smock and awe
Somerset House, a handsome Georgian palace on the Thames, was once the office of the Inland Revenue, and the courtyard was…
Fifteen things we learned about sport this year
It was the year of KP, Keano and the Kiwis; of Federer, Froch and Phil the Power (no change there…
Gold standard
‘Hang on a minute—he’s a bit wobbly,’ trainer Oliver Sherwood told photographers imploring him to stand with his winner when…
Cashmere socks and the secret of happiness
I had always attributed it to bad luck in the genetic lottery. I am three-eighths Welsh and a quarter Scottish,…
Wild life
Laikipia We are privileged to live with lions on the farm. We hear them most nights. We encounter them frequently.…
Another New York institution bites the dust
Except for sickness in one’s family or the loss of a life, is there anything sadder than to see a…
The best thing about travel-writing gigs is meeting other hacks
The thing I enjoy most about travel-writing gigs is meeting other hacks. Hacks are almost invariably fun, funny, gossipy, irreverent,…
How I lost my hat (and my dignity) in a field of maize
After our spectacular season opener, the spaniel and I were on probation. Cydney, you may recall, retrieved a hen bird…
Will anyone admit to being in the establishment? (No, not you, David Mellor)
This is a tremendous time for ‘ordinary’ people. The elitists, the members of the ‘establishment’, are all on the run.…
Bridge
I witnessed utter carnage at the bridge table the other week. I was watching the European Champions Cup online when…
Classic
London chess fans are about to enjoy a great treat. The London Chess Classic will run from the 10-14 December…
Chess puzzle
White to play. This position is a variation from Larsen-Portisch, London 1986. How can White exploit a fatal weakness in…
It’s a rap
In Competition No. 2876 you were invited to submit an example of an ill-advised foray by a poet laureate, past…
2191: Bunk
The other unclued entries, in pairs around 3D, provide the key words in a definition of 11D. Across …
To 2188: Pieces of eight
The eight unclued lights are anagrams of eight clued solutions: 2/12, 3/13, 8/35, 16/40, 18/28, 19/30, 24/27 and 26/38. First…
