Life
Real life: My handsome builder ex-boyfriend shows me how to buy a car
The sometime builder boyfriend spotted the Volvo on his way to a roofing job in Dorking. He rang me greatly…
Long life: The curse of the black tie
I seem to have been steeped in opera lately. First there was Ariadne auf Naxos at Glyndebourne, then Peter Grimes…
Royal Ascot triumph: Johnny Murtagh is the best trainer riding
Ginger Rogers, clever girl, did everything that Fred Astaire did — but she did it backwards. I am looking backwards…
Bridge
Zia Mahmood has never been the most punctual man — but I wonder whether he’ll ever be late for a…
Anand’s crisis
A disturbing pattern has emerged in the games of world champion Viswanathan Anand. As White in the Ruy Lopez he…
no. 273
Black to play. This position is from the game Nimzowitsch-Tarrasch, St Petersburg 1914. With both bishops trained on White’s king,…
Rhyme time
In Competition 2804 you were invited to supply a poem containing as many ingenious rhymes as possible. Ogden Nash, one…
2120: Urban – or what?
The unclued lights (one of two words) are of a specific kind. Ignore all accents. Across 1 H-E-X? (5)…
to 2117: Highlands and islands
The twenty-two lochs which did not fit into the grid are, in order of their appearance in the story: Ainort,…
Our house was burgled as we watched The Fall
Caroline and I were watching The Fall in our front room when the intruder entered our house. Not great timing…
Dave
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Why I’m hiring graduates with thirds this year
Whenever I return to my old university, I am always struck by how incredibly focused, purposeful and studious everyone seems…
Dear Mary: How can I stop my friends giving me Christmas presents?
Q. Over the years my close friends locally have been giving each other birthday and Christmas presents. Now, as I…
Mourning Julia Gillard with the greatest wine ever to come out of Australia
My Australian friend was in mourning over the removal of Julia Gillard, the country’s first female prime minister. She had…
Swathe
Swathe is a popular word at the moment, and ignorance of its meaning, spelling and pronunciation deters no one. It…
Gillard and the Grange Hermitage
My Australian friend was in mourning over the removal of Julia Gillard, the country’s first female prime minister. She had…
This year, I’m hiring graduates with thirds
Whenever I return to my old university, I am always struck by how incredibly focused, purposeful and studious everyone seems…
Scene of the crime
Scott’s, Mount Street, Mayfair: the scene of the crime or, for those who do not read newspapers, the place where…
Friendly and ghostlike
Kaspar’s Seafood Bar and Grill is named for superstition, snobbery and avarice. At a dinner at the Savoy in 1898…
Wild life
Il Pinguaan Springs When I first saw the Pinguaan Springs they were small, fetid bogs set about with papyrus, the…
From Vikings to vintages
The Macdonalds of Clanranald are one of the oldest families in the world. Their lineage comfortably predates the Scotland of…
Why does anyone drink wine?
You will be scandalised by the suggestion, of course, especially those of you who spend several hours every week drinking…
An ice-cream war
The Antica Roma is an ice-cream shop near the Spanish Steps in Rome; recently, it served four English tourists called…
The delights of decadence
Although I promise to move on to drink, forgive me for beginning with a less interesting but even more complex…
Steak, chips and misogyny
STK is a steakhouse at the bottom of the ME Hotel on the Aldwych. (This is a real name for…
