Life
High life
There’s a narrow stretch of Chelsea, south of the King’s Road from Oakley Street to Ormonde Gate, that reminds me…
Low life
The day after Catriona was fitted with a plaster cast and crutches, her elder sister arrived from the UK for…
Kiwi Life
Lorde vs Lana People who live in glass houses really shouldn’t get changed with the lights on. Doubly so, one…
Aussie Language
When New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet announced the re-opening of the state he said: ‘We can’t remain a hermit…
Real life
‘My phone says I can’t go out until Tuesday, so I can’t come and meet you,’ said my friend. And…
High life
New York I find most films nowadays as fascinating as a lengthy history of orthodontics but then I’m spoilt rotten,…
Group think
In Competition No. 3222, you were invited to supply a dystopian short story that incorporates as many collective nouns for…
The Battle for Britain
Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.
Dear Mary
Q. Our two daughters often bring friends down for the weekend. These friends are more than welcome; we enjoy their…
Why the Reds have got the blues
Not so much the hair dryer: more a gentle home perm. Contemplating the increasingly less youthful visage of Ole Gunnar…
Why lockdown sceptics lost the argument
I’m optimistic that the government won’t implement ‘Plan B’, let alone impose another lockdown — but not because sceptics like…
Faking it
Whitcomb’s is in The Londoner hotel on the south-west corner of Leicester Square. The Londoner calls itself ‘the world’s first…
Witch
‘No, darling, I certainly wouldn’t call you a witch,’ said my husband. ‘You’re not thin enough.’ The Oxford English Dictionary…
to 2527: The main dilemma
The question posed by the song is 11A/ 22A/37A. Suggested by 37A, other unclued lights were anagrams of words meaning…
Puzzle no. 677
Black to play. Turner–Jackson, Hull 4NCL GM Tournament 2021. Which move did James Jackson play to ensure a decisive advance…
2530: Ups and downs
Clockwise round the grid from 2 runs a quotation (5,3,3,5,6,4,3,4,3,3,4,5) followed by the poet’s first name. Her second name is…
The Varsity match
Anyone who has attended the Varsity chess match knows that an online version just wouldn’t be the same. The annual…
Low life
Earlier in this run of glorious October sunshine I was languishing on the bed in the middle of the afternoon…
Bridge
It was great to be back playing live bridge at the Portland Club last week. I was lucky enough to…
The turf
In 1986 a young Mark Johnston, having acquired a derelict yard on the Lincolnshire coast, phoned the Jockey Club to…
Aussie Life
Go on, admit it; just when you thought it was safe to go back to the pub, or the office,…
Aussie Language
Andrew Bolt, among others, has been scrupulous in drawing our attention to what he calls ‘race baiting’. For example, Greens…
Bridge
YAY! We won the Gold Cup! We played Tim Leslie’s strong team in the 64-board final and beat them on…
Wild life
Kenya When I was a child in Kenya, the road from the Indian Ocean up to Nairobi was still…
Puzzle No. 676
White to play. Bjerre–Maiwald, Bundesliga 2021. Black has menacing counterplay, so White’s attack needs an accurate conclusion. What did he…
