Life
to 2440: Dizzy tiny blonde
The unclued lights (paired at 5/8, 24/3, 30D/30A and 42/35, and the singleton at 37) are titles of series of…
Empire state of mind
They never learn, do they? Lisa Nandy, the dark horse candidate in the Labour leadership race, has demanded the word…
The Battle for Britain
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Central reservations
Some years ago, two British supermarket chains needed to place a large order for replacement trollies. They had to decide…
Dear Mary
Q. I have hired a private room in a restaurant in order to give dinner to a large number of…
Getting into the spirit
In the mid-18th century, London was awash with gin. Socially-conscious members of the bourgeoisie believed that this was the root…
In shock
Billie Eilish, who has just won five Grammys, is also singing the theme song for the next Bond film. ‘James…
High life
I was walking up St James’s and happy to be in London. For a change I was not rushing but…
Low life
There are no stairs or escalators to take you up to Terminal 4 from the underground Heathrow Express platform. Beyond…
Real life
Some might say it was a typical over-reaction on my part to erect hidden cameras at the horses’ field. First…
Bridge
Have I mentioned that I played for England in the Camrose? And not for the first time either. Sadly this…
Women’s World Championship
Looking at the first 12 games of the 2018 Carlsen-Caruana World Championship, which all ended in draws, I saw a statistical…
no. 589
Black to move. Javakhishvili–Adams, Gibraltar 2020. Adams has a few plausible moves here, including Rf1, Rf3+ and Rxf7, but only…
Food glorious food
In Competition No. 3133 you were invited to provide a passage about food written in the style of a well-known…
2442: Don’t nod
Eight unclued lights are of a kind with the 3 of the 30. Elsewhere, ignore two accents. Across 1 …
to 2439: More nuts
The statement, ‘HINDSIGHT IS ALWAYS (10/17) twenty-twenty’ was made by the FILM DIRECTOR (48/21) BILLY (4) Wilder (suggested by the…
The climate doomsayers always get it wrong
I was slightly surprised when Greta Thunberg announced at Davos that we had eight years left to save the planet.…
The Battle for Britain
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Can England rise to the Six Nations challenge?
Not everyone likes the Six Nations — a recent well-received book on the state of rugby union described it as…
Dear Mary
Q. An elderly cousin gave my husband and me a wedding present of two weeks in his villa in the…
A taste of Wild Honey
Wild Honey is a ludicrous name for this restaurant: there is nothing wild about it, and I do not think…
Step back
At this time of year in Colorado the crime of puffing is widespread. It is so cold that in the…
High life
Did any of you know that most of the 20th-century monsters — Stalin, Mao, Hitler, Ceausescu, Duvalier, and even the…
Low life
For the last four years of her long life, this upstairs room and this magnificent sea view belonged to Mrs…
Real life
‘Time to begin your adventure with Mr Benn!’ said the letter that came through my door, in a big loopy…
