Life
Bridge
Why is defence so difficult? Why do I have to suffer partner’s incredulous face when I play the wrong card…
Low life
The four portraits of four siblings that Catriona had painted from their photographs over four months were framed, hung and…
High life
Gstaad Who was it who said good manners had gone the way of black and white TV? Actually it was…
The BBC is killing cricket
Full homage to the nail-biting cricketing miracle in Sydney, while bearing in mind that miracles, like lightning, rarely strike twice…
The Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
When travel unravels
Recently, with some regret, I declined an invitation to play chess in the Netherlands. I fancied the trip, but alas…
Kiwi life
Of the making of many books, the Bible says, ‘there is no end’. It’s starting to feel a bit like…
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
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
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…
