Life
Redrawing the map
In the world of chess politics, the map has been redrawn. Russia is now officially in Asia, and no longer…
The builder boyfriend is no figment of my imagination
The lady who walks her dog past my horses every day was obviously eager to tell me something. I have…
The joy of my wedding day
It’s been all go. After breakfast Treena brought a basin of warm water, a bar of soap and a face…
Aussie life
A new Arts policy has been released to help raise the creative standard just as a balding redhead called Ed…
Language
The word ‘manifestation’ has been part of the English language since the 1400s. It comes from the verb ‘to manifest’…
All mirrors and monochrome: Mister Nice reviewed
Mister Nice is not so much a restaurant as a pre-dawn thought flung into the drag between Piccadilly Circus and…
Kugelhopf: a reassuring introduction to baking with yeast
Yeast scares even some of the most proficient cooks. I know home cooks and professionals alike, food writers and fanatics,…
What’s going wrong with English rugby
Rejoice, as you don’t normally say after a hammering like the peerless French dished out to England at Twickenham. But…
When is a crime not a crime?
On Monday, Suella Braverman published draft guidance designed to rein in the police habit of recording a ‘non-crime hate incident’…
2593: Capital Development – solution
1A, 7A, 18A, 40A, 46A and 47A are all on the new Elizabeth Line, which appears in the grid when…
2596: Charades
Unclued lights provide three definitions each of a whole word and of its two syllables. Solvers should highlight the word…
Spectator competition winners: the Lord’s Prayer as a sonnet
In Competition No. 3290, you were invited to recast the Lord’s Prayer as a sonnet. The late Frank Kermode reckoned…
My conversations with Wilfred Thesiger
When Wilfred Thesiger arrived in the port of Al Mukalla after his foot crossing of the Empty Quarter desert with…
The rise of the village poo-painters
After they banned horses from the village green and surrounding common land, I set about trying to find out why,…
Paper? Marriage? Ours? Ceremony?
‘They say they can’t do it tomorrow. The papers haven’t come.’ Catriona, just back from the village, was shouting up…
