Life
South Africa and a toast to democracy
Not everything in the entire world is going to hell in a half-track. A few days ago, I tasted some…
Why work is no longer working
It is often said that Rishi Sunak has no idea what it is like to survive on a low income…
Beyond satire: Richard Caring’s Bacchanalia reviewed
Bacchanalia is the new restaurant from Richard Caring – I sense he would like me to call it a ‘landmark’…
Wesley Hall represents everything that cricket should be
Few sights in the history of cricket have been more thrilling – or more terrifying for batsmen – than the…
The number at my Christmas table is growing ever smaller
When I imagine the perfect Christmas lunch, I think of the end of A Christmas Carol in which Scrooge turns…
Aussie life
‘Where’s the sausage?’ I asked my wife as we lined up at the local primary school to exercise our democratic…
Language
We are being constantly warned that economic doom, gloom and disaster are about to hit – because of the impact…
Spectator competition winners: lessons in citizenship from Oscar Wilde and P.G. Wodehouse
In Competition No. 3278, you were invited to supply a well-known writer’s response to the question what makes the perfect…
World Senior Championship
English grandmaster John Nunn was the top seed in the over-65 section at the World Senior Championship, held in Italy last…
You don’t need a fondue set to make fondue
‘This dish is very you,’ my husband says, as I serve up 650g of melted, boozy cheese to the two…
The best Ukrainian restaurant you will find: Mriya reviewed
Mriya lives at the end of Old Brompton Road where South Kensington turns into Earl’s Court and, as if by…
Why should I be compensated for a delayed train?
In early 2020 my family and I were due to fly home from visiting a friend in Oman when the…
‘Climate scepticism’ and ‘disinformation’ are not the same thing
According to a quote in a recent article by the environment editor of the Times, I’m ‘the most prominent UK…
Hostage drama at the village hairdresser
‘Then I got taken hostage in Iran,’ said the lady sitting next to me in the hairdresser’s as she was…
