Life
Is this the death of horse racing?
I don’t miss too many from the political world I once inhabited but I was saddened by the death of…
My farmhouse nightmare
From the veranda of a small Irish farmhouse, I looked out over the sun-drenched West Cork peninsula. All I could…
Dear Mary: How can I stop my husband overeating?
Q. Some older American friends take me and my husband out to dinner once a year when they are over…
Why I’m defending a pro-Putin apologist
As a defender of free speech, I’m used to taking up the cudgels on behalf of unsavoury people. To quote…
The Battle for Britain | 20 August 2022
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What Bob Dylan can teach us about economics
The problem with attempts to make everything in life more scientific is that reality hates generalisation. You can try to…
No, Boris Johnson isn’t ‘missing in action’
Someone in the Guardian wrote that Boris Johnson had his ‘out of office’ on, and the Chancellor was ‘missing in…
At least we still have wine
Even in recent heat, the English summer can be magical. As long as there is shade, a pool and a…
Aussie Life
‘Give it up for the band!’ cried Van Morrison from the stage at King John’s castle in Limerick the other…
Language
As the contest to replace Boris Johnson draws towards its protracted close, we should remember that many of the original…
Epigram
Our Marriage Soundtrack I think of our marriage quite often. I think of the music as well. It started with…
The curse of the jet-ski
An F. Scott Fitzgerald biographer by the name of David S. Brown refers to America’s promotion of deviancy (my words)…
Bridge | 13 August 2022
To paraphrase E.L. Wisty, the late, great Peter Cook’s alter ego, ‘Some people are born lazy, some become lazy and…
How I found perfect happiness
The view from the upstairs window was of other large and secluded houses perched on other still-green Surrey Hills. I…
There is nothing speedy about speedy boarding
When my black passport arrived in the post, I decided to take a trip. I’m not a good flier, so…
2568: Next door have gone
The unclued lights, two of two words, and including four pairs using two of the unclued lights twice, are of…
2562: 3 X 2 - solution
The unclued lights are words (or one phrase) which contain three pairs (3 x 2, in the title) of double…
What Richard Thompson can do for English cricket
Well alleluia, English cricket doesn’t seem able to put a foot wrong these days. After hitting three cherries with Rob…
Will ‘hosepipe ban’ make it into the dictionary?
‘Got any ’ose?’ asked my husband, falling into his Two Ronnies ‘Four Candles’ routine, in which he likes to play…
No. 715
White to play. Navara – Batsuren, Chennai Olympiad 2022. In this strange position Czech grandmaster David Navara found an elegant…
A great chef at his best: Lisboeta reviewed
In 2014, Nuno Mendes, a chef from Lisbon by way of Wolfgang Puck’s kitchens and his own Viajante in Bethnal…
Poems about the James Webb Space Telescope
In Competition No. 3261, you were invited to submit a poem about the James Webb Space Telescope. The first dazzling…
India’s young stars
At the Chennai Olympiad, the Indian team began as second seeds, even with former World Champion Vishy Anand absent from…
The Battle for Britain | 13 August 2022
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The (occasional) joy of being a QPR fan
I made my way to Loftus Road on Saturday for QPR’s first home fixture of the season. We’ve got a…