Life
Backlash
‘Lashings of ginger beer?’ asked my husband when I mentioned backlash. He thought the phrase came from Enid Blyton, though…
Things you didn’t know you needed
The explosion in remote and flexible working accelerated by the pandemic slightly supports my assertion that the most important limits…
Dear Mary
Q. I live alone, happily and remotely, but many miles from my immediate family. My son’s wife has very kindly…
Where are all the Turners in the Turner Contemporary?
I learnt a horrible new word during the holidays: Twixmas. It refers to the 27-30 December period and has its…
Solution to 2535: Triplets
Each unclued lights include one letter three times. The wording of the preamble precludes ALLYLS (2D which would be the…
2537: My Lord!
A 21-word exchange appears (apart from two words) in nine unclued entries. The other unclued entry specifies one of the…
Double issue
In Competition No. 3230, you were invited to supply a double acrostic poem, the first and last letters of each…
Puzzle No. 684
White to play. Abdusattorov–Rakhmatullaev, Uzbek Championship 2021. How did White deliver a pretty mate in two moves? Answers should be…
A rioja to beat the new year blues
There was only one flaw in my Christmas this year. I did not spend enough of it with Santa Claus-age…
Fresh start
Chess offers one ultimate consolation in defeat: the opportunity to set the pieces up and start again. At least in…
The Battle for Britain
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Bridge
We’re all guilty of making silly mistakes at the bridge table and then hurriedly trying to explain them away —…
The turf
Seen any groundhogs your way? In racing the New Year began much as the old one had ended. At Cheltenham’s…
Real life
Last night I dreamt I went on holiday again. It seemed to me I stood by the departure gate, and…
Low life
I listed for Catriona the reasons why I did not want to go out to dinner that evening at the…
High life
Gstaad It is hard to imagine that we have reached the year 2022 and are still imposing completely irrelevant…
Aussie Life
One of the reasons I still buy newspapers is that what no longer seems to be true of vocabulary and…
Aussie Language
This appears to be a case of ‘What were they thinking?’ The good folk at the Macquarie Dictionary have announced…
Real life
Someone else with my name is wreaking havoc with my attempts to control the Twitter account I don’t want. Obviously,…
Bridge
Bridge is not too enticing if your parents had card evenings when you were a child, which often ended in…
Dear Mary
From Lady Antonia Fraser Q. I enjoy getting readers’ letters, but there is one category I am at a loss…
The Battle for Britain
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The Cape of good reds
‘Earth has not anything to show more fair.’ One can admire the view from Westminster Bridge and feel near the…
Low life
At the desk I gave my name and showed my Covid vaccination pass and the woman told me to take…
Sherry trifle
Christmas brings out the best and the worst in me. It’s a chance to give in to my inclination to…
