Life
Dear Mary
Q. A (very attractive) man I knew at university invited me to a party given by him and his girlfriend.…
Bloody Marys and glorious Jean
To the Western Isles, or at least to its embassy in Belgravia. Boisdale restaurant always claims to be extra-territorial. There…
High life
When I was young my recurring nightmare was that I would die and be reincarnated as a polo pony. I…
Low life
Dr Ivan Mindlin was the in-house casino doctor at the Stardust in Las Vegas in the early 1970s. Mention any…
Low life
Dr Ivan Mindlin was the in-house casino doctor at the Stardust in Las Vegas in the early 1970s. Mention any…
Trope
A law I’d like to see passed would exact severe penalties for the use of the word trope. It is…
Real life
The builder boyfriend declared himself very happy with his £65 pee. He insisted it was good value for money because…
GCSEs and the arts of lobbying
For the past six years or so a variety of arts organisations have been campaigning against the English Baccalaureate, or…
GCSEs and the arts of lobbying
For the past six years or so a variety of arts organisations have been campaigning against the English Baccalaureate, or…
My alarm call for GPs
A few months ago I was stuck in traffic on my way to give a talk at the Royal College…
Wild life
Laikipia plateau, Kenya My great-grandpa Ernest Wise was an engineer who sailed to South Africa towards the end of the…
Bridge
It’s so hard not to whinge when you’ve had bad luck at bridge — it’s just one of those things…
The Battle for Britain
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Bridge
Not surprisingly, Reykjavik has become a tourist destination again. Delicious restaurants, all those geysers and, if you’re lucky, the Northern…
Serendipity
My two previous articles dwelt on Richard Réti’s introduction of the so-called hypermodern systems. Characterised by the double fianchetto of White’s…
no.442
White to play. This position is from So-Wojtaszek, Wijk aan Zee 2017. White has only one move to win. Can…
Creature discomfort
In Competition No. 2983, an assignment inspired by W.W. Jacobs’s macabre mini masterpiece ‘The Monkey’s Paw’, you were invited to…
2295: Juicy
An unclued light is a name shared by two persons, one of whom is fictional. Remaining unclued lights give names…
to 2292: Discovery
Thematic names are 1A/22 and 25/34, author of The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure…
Dear Mary
Q. My granddaughter has asked to use our barn for her 21st birthday dance in June. We can only sleep…
Vanity project
The Waverly Inn is the house restaurant of Vanity Fair magazine in New York City. It is part-owned by Graydon…
High life
When I saw an email from Lucy, the lady who has the unenviable task of editing my copy each week,…
Low life
Dr Mindlin called. I needed cheering up? If I fancied a week in Antigua as his guest I should be…
Italianglish
Waiting for my husband in a Rome hotel, I was reduced to reading some of the weekend newspaper supplements. The…
Real life
As if by magic, a sign that I am doing the right thing by moving out of London arrived in…
