Life
Goodbye and good riddance to ‘non-crime’
The congratulatory messages started pouring in shortly after 5.30 p.m. on Monday. The Metropolitan Police had just issued a press…
Dear Mary: How can I turn down invitations without offending people?
Q. I was recently lent six books by a friend I see regularly for yoga. I was bemoaning the fact…
My most profitable day on a racecourse ever
The Champions Day finale at Ascot gave us, as it should, the best race of the season. Thanks to weather…
Aussie life
It’s not often you can say, ‘I know exactly how he feels’ about your Prime Minister. But in following the…
Language
Cheryl asks me to explain why we call someone who is off their rocker ‘dotty’. Well, ‘dotty’ has had that…
A sip of Israeli history
We were drinking Israeli wine as the talk ranged from frivolity to seriousness: from Donald Trump to the tragic paradoxes…
Why men are the disposable sex
I am a proud father. Both my daughters got good degrees. But better still, they smoke, go to pubs and…
Spectator Competition: Right to reply
For Competition 3421 you were invited to submit a reply from Slough to offset Betjeman’s rude lines on the subject.…
The secrets of sachertorte
My theory is that sachertorte is a victim of its own success. Over the past 150 years, it has become…
Yoga is slow-motion pole-dancing for grannies
It’s hard work being rich. I gave up trying years ago. You must waste money on everything, even the basics,…
Dear Mary: Should I leave a tip for my hard-up friend’s imaginary daily?
Q. My son’s new girlfriend is really sweet but my husband and I find it annoying how she puts her…
Why I pity the poor eco-zealots
An email popped into my House of Lords inbox last week from Lt Gen. Richard Nugee with the subject line…
I’ve been won over by a herbivore
‘Data-free vegans incoming by taxi,’ I texted the builder boyfriend, to alert him to the possibility of triple trouble. Quadruple…
