Life
Aussie life
Sitting next to an archbishop at a recent Saturday night dinner, I wondered what sort of conversation to make. I…
Language
Why do we accuse someone who talks on and on, giving us more details than we ever wanted, of ‘rabbiting…
Why did a tech genius want to buy the most successful commercial stud in Britain?
Alan Brazil was an icon on the pitch for Ipswich Town, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Scotland. Now he’s a…
The most shameful thing I’ve ever done
Dante’s Beach, Ravenna It is raining at last, thank God, and the sound of thunder cascades across the heavens like…
For me, cornbread will always be romantic
My early days of baking coincided with the early days of dating the man who became my husband. It is…
Dear Mary: How should I refer to my new love?
Q. As an avid reader of your column, I was hoping you might be able to help. I sadly lost…
Girls, let’s not leave AI to the men
As seen in the Times ‘Sodding sods!’ I exclaim, as I discover that I’m £16,000 overdrawn. Between the tweakments, the…
Why can’t the Financial Times correctly name peers?
The present Lord Howard de Walden’s first name is not Howard. It’s Peter, for the 11th Baron is the film-maker…
2767: Smoky – solution
The unclued lights (with the pair at 18/9) are locations in and around Edinburgh with the yellow squares revealing ‘Auld…
My poolside revelations
Lying by the rooftop pool of the Hotel Sun in downtown Lefkosa, I felt like a cowboy about to stir…
2770: Effwun
The unclued lights (five of two words, three singletons and a pair) are of a kind. Across 11 Carpet from…
Face it: Frank Lampard just isn’t a good manager
As Spectator readers will surely be aware, many of the stories we read in the papers nowadays are there not…
Spectator Competition: Back to it
Comp. 3467 invited you to submit a passage in the style of a classic school story to mark the start…
Why am I so bad at presents?
My life of non-stop glamour and sizzle continues. Over breakfast in our Notting Hill ‘country kitchen’ I noticed the large…
No. 917
Black to play. Mendonca-Mishra, Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, 2026. Mishra missed a beautiful win here, and later lost the…
Tech Mahindra Global Chess League
The classical (slow) world championship remains the single most prestigious title in chess, but the events drawing new sponsorship to…
Are you the next Glenda Slagg?
Thirty-five years ago this month, I launched a magazine with Julie Burchill and Cosmo Landesman that, despite going belly up…
The wine industry gives me hope
Nostalgia grows with age. Inevitably so: years lengthen and with them memories, sometimes, alas, involving departed friends. In my case,…
Aussie life
Nobody east of the Rabbit-Proof Fence had heard of it two weeks ago, but WA’s Secret Harbour, like Doris Day’s…
Language
‘Dhimmitude’ is a word that is almost unknown in the Western world. But it is a vitally important word, because…
‘In a word: go’: Kid, reviewed
Well, I’m still full. That’s the first thing to know. -Probably will be at the time you read this too.…
In a fearful world, the Volvo makes me feel safe
There is a World of Volvo museum in Sweden which I long to see. It was made by the architect…
My midnight naked swim
Provence The tiny village of Correns, two villages along, suffered more in the recent fires than we did. Even the…
Dear Mary: what should I do if my guests don’t want to take their shoes off?
Q. My brother and I have bought a flat together in central London. It was expensive but we will save…
