Melissa Kite

Melissa Kite writes The Spectator's Real life column.

Real life

25 April 2020 9:00 am

The man was unloading cycles from the boot of his car just as I was about to take the turning…

Real Life

18 April 2020 9:00 am

The toad who lives at the bottom of the garden in the pile of bricks beneath the potting table was…

Real life

11 April 2020 9:00 am

‘Do you want some of the private stuff from out the back?’ said the butcher to the builder boyfriend, leaning…

Real life

4 April 2020 9:00 am

The spaniel curled up in her basket with one of my shoes, one of his socks and a packet of…

Real life

28 March 2020 9:00 am

‘Get me Heygates on the phone! I need that order of pony nuts now, damn it!’ It was like a…

Real life

21 March 2020 9:00 am

The most exciting place on earth I have ever been to is the village where I live. And I don’t…

Real Life

14 March 2020 9:00 am

The game was up when I put on a pair of size 14 jodhpurs at the country store and they…

Real Life

7 March 2020 9:00 am

One of the many technological things I don’t understand is, how come I’m paying to watch television? I know why…

Pet peeve

29 February 2020 9:00 am

Let animals be animals

Real life

29 February 2020 9:00 am

Nice of the NHS to send an advisory text about coronavirus, because I was wondering. Is it possible to have…

Real life

21 February 2020 10:00 pm

Mr Benn has been in touch because he wants a right of reply to an article I wrote about my…

Real life

15 February 2020 9:00 am

Being told I am now both short-sighted and long-sighted feels like someone is playing a very bad joke on me.…

Real life

7 February 2020 10:00 pm

The builder boyfriend fell off a roof. He didn’t tell me until he could no longer leave unexplained why he…

Real life

1 February 2020 9:00 am

Some might say it was a typical over-reaction on my part to erect hidden cameras at the horses’ field. First…

Real life

24 January 2020 10:00 pm

‘Time to begin your adventure with Mr Benn!’ said the letter that came through my door, in a big loopy…

How to catch a thief

18 January 2020 9:00 am

My tech guy Andy appeared on the doorstep in a puff of smoke. I had just texted him to ask…

How my new pony swept me off my feet – literally

11 January 2020 9:00 am

‘This is the one I was thinking of for you,’ said the lady I might feasibly call my mother-in-law, in…

The strange case of the everlasting bonfire

21 December 2019 9:00 am

The bonfire burned and burned, choking out black smoke, and when my headache got so bad I could barely see…

Our local Tory candidate’s leaflet was the most disturbing of them all

14 December 2019 9:00 am

‘Oh, it’s you!’ said the builder boyfriend to the Tory MP in his shooting jacket, as he made his way…

I’ve practically solved the crime myself but still the police won’t help

7 December 2019 9:00 am

‘Thank you for calling Surrey Police. We want to help you with your inquiry as quickly as possible. Did you…

I’ve finally found out the truth about my horse-riding nemesis

30 November 2019 9:00 am

She was a trade union activist, she told me. She wanted a second referendum. Well, they all do. I’m starting…

How you can tell the gender of a thief

23 November 2019 9:00 am

My attempt at being Columbo was only taking me so far. In solving the mystery of who raided the barn,…

The strange case of six missing horse rugs

16 November 2019 9:00 am

The night after the fireworks display the barn was raided and our horse rugs were taken. Good job I’ve watched…

Who will take the threat to horses from fireworks seriously?

9 November 2019 9:00 am

Remember remember the 5th of November, when Britain’s most controversial pub chain stages a massive firework display in the middle…

[Photo: middelveld]

I’m getting another horse — but it’s not for me

2 November 2019 9:00 am

Sitting on the train to Surrey, I was halfway home and texted the builder boyfriend to say when I would…