Notes on…
Leotards
Jules Léotard was blessed in his name. It might have been quite different had he been called, say, Jules Droupé.…
Eels
The migration of European eels is one of the miracles of nature. They start life in the great deeps of…
Sensory deprivation tanks
Hidden below St George’s Wharf in Vauxhall, down the road from a now defunct gay sauna, is Floatworks, a wellness…
Avocets
There are many reasons why birds disappear — and why they return. The avocet, however, is probably the only one…
Aquariums
Fish tanks were probably first conceived in the distant past by the Chinese, but in many respects, aquariums are a…
Bidets
In December 2019, and in keeping with our tradition of perverse birthday gifts, some friends gave me a bidet device.…
Gosforth Cross
In the small Cumbrian village of Gosforth, in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church, there is a sandstone cross which…
Lobsters
Lobsters like to live in gullies on the sea floor, or under sand, and I understand how they feel. But…
Skateboarding
I was 12 when I got into skateboarding: the same age as Sky Brown, the youngest member of Team GB’s…
Pigeon racing
Pigeon racing isn’t much of a spectator sport. Race birds are driven to the ‘liberation point’, where they’re released to…
The Pride flag
Last month, the Pride flag was updated by the Intersex Equality Rights UK campaign group — the simple rainbow was…
Bitterns
Bitterns are booming, both literally and metaphorically. These handsome brown birds from the heron family make a noise quite unlike…
Cornish pasties
This week, world leaders are doing what countless Brits do every summer: unpacking their bags in a charming corner of…
Viking words
Supposedly 5 per cent of words in English are borrowed from Old Norse. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but…
Salt and vinegar crisps
Henry Walker might never have got into the crisp business were it not for the fact that his Leicester butcher’s…
Refuseniks
‘Vaccine refusenik’ is the latest catchphrase used to disparage anyone unwilling — for whatever reason — to roll up their…
Hares
The numbers of the dear old mountain hare in England are becoming perilously depleted. A researcher, Carlos Bedson, has suggested…
Dandelions
Dandelions are one of the cheeriest wild flowers. They are loved by children for their ‘clock’ seed heads, are entirely…
The Watts Memorial
Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole died last weekend saving a woman’s life. Hearing her cries as she fell into the Thames from London…
Walking football
As a footballer, I’m elderly not elite, meaning that I’m one of 60,000 or so 50- to 92-year-olds (yep, 92!)…
Land Rovers
The Duke of Edinburgh’s coffin will be carried in a Land Rover. Not any old Land Rover, but a Defender…
Cuckoos
St Tiburtius’ Day, on 14 April, is traditionally when you will hear the first cuckoo. Since at least the Middle…
Adders
In early April, when the chiffchaff sings its drab little song in the leafless hawthorns, something is stirring in the…
Mead
The last time I drank mead was 7 April 1978. It was my 18th birthday and —unforgettably — it was…
Minton tiles
It’s only since I moved to Staffordshire that I’ve come to appreciate that some of the finest works of public…
