Life
Paddington emerged victorious but Eclipse was an enthralling duel
I should have listened to George Duffield. Sandown Park’s Eclipse Stakes, the first time the Classic generation of three-year-olds take…
Maybe the village will be sad to see us go after all
‘You certainly gave us a run for our money,’ said the village elder, serving us with what appeared to be…
I know how Jonny Bairstow feels
A poor little Greek boy writing about cricket etiquette is like Harry Sussex lecturing on discretion, but never mind. As…
Aussie life
It used to be joked that Australia risked becoming the fifty-first state of America. But having enjoyed a family holiday…
Language
We all know what ‘dictation’ means – speaking words aloud for someone to write down. Once every office had its…
If you thought Lord’s was rowdy, get ready for Leeds
Shouldn’t we all just calm down a bit after Lord’s? Once prime ministers decide to intervene, you know things have…
Spectator competition winners: poems about procrastination
In Competition No. 3306, you were invited to submit a poem about procrastination. Procrastination looms large in Out of Sheer…
A taste of 1997: Pizza Express reviewed
As the government withers this column falls to ennui and visits Pizza Express. As David Cameron, who left the world…
How to make proper vanilla ice cream
I could map out my life geographically and temporally in scoops of ice cream. From the oyster delights handed over…
How do you solve a problem like debanking?
As I sat down to write this column, an old friend let me know he’d just been ‘debanked’. That is,…
The beauty of Boran cattle
The Farm, Laikipia Outside the nightjars were calling and a zebra brayed in the valley. The constellations were still bright…
The Co-op can keep its no claims discount
When I received an email from the Co-op telling me they had made a mistake with my car insurance, and…
The pleasure and pain of reading
Gstaad There are lurid rumours circulating around this Alpine village that an international literature symposium has taken place, with some…
Aussie life
Amanda Stoker’s willingness to talk about her bottom has given David Van the distinction of becoming Australia’s first real subject…
Language
I have written here in the past about the expression ‘weaponised words.’ There are many examples: ‘fascist’, ‘Nazi’ and ‘hard-right’…
What’s so super about Super Tuscans?
In Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, the hopes embodied in the title dissolve into grimness and black irony. It was all…
