Life
Little England
In the art of insult, the sting lies in the adjective, no matter how derogatory the noun. So it is…
Real life
‘This EU passport is an outrage. I want a British one!’ Not my words, Cydney’s. The spaniel is coming round…
Who’s sabotaging my Leave campaign?
I’ve never been a great believer in karma. After all, in the absence of some kind of cosmic enforcer of…
Who’s sabotaging my Leave campaign?
I’ve never been a great believer in karma. After all, in the absence of some kind of cosmic enforcer of…
The cultural hodgepodge that is Europe
If Geert Hofstede’s name is familiar to you, it might be from pop-science articles explaining a spate of Korean airliner…
Wild life
Kenya As soon as I pulled out of town, I knew I had made a mistake taking on the new…
Bridge
Just take the money! That’s the philosophy of many rubber bridge players when it comes to bidding — or rather…
Bridge
Many top-class bridge players enjoy flirting with poker, making it their bit on the side. I can certainly see the…
The Battle for Britain
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Edgehogs
Last week, commenting on Nigel Davies’s new book The Pirc Move by Move (Everyman Chess), I wrote about my win…
No. 412
Black to play. This is from Arnason-Keene, London 1981. How did Black bring his bishops to life? Answers to me…
Minus one
In Competition No. 2951 you were invited to remove a letter from a well-known book title and submit an extract…
Your problems solved
Q. When going out to dinner I’ve found some people will send everyone a list of the other guests so…
Un-Italian job
I have been waiting, like a heroine in fiction, for the specialist lasagne restaurant. London has long been heading this…
High life
Shelter Island is nestled in the Long Island Sound, ten minutes by ferry from Sag Harbor and a good 30…
Long life
I’m back in England after travelling from Italy by railway, because I have been forbidden to fly in case the…
Long life
I’m back in England after travelling from Italy by railway, because I have been forbidden to fly in case the…
Low life
Showered and shaved and wearing a stiff new Paul Smith candy-stripe shirt, I took an Uber to the party. I…
Low life
Showered and shaved and wearing a stiff new Paul Smith candy-stripe shirt, I took an Uber to the party. I…
How’s your father
‘Very funny, I don’t think,’ said my husband when I mentioned Harry Tate, although Tate died in 1940 and even…
Real life
Would you like a Labour party manifesto with your breakfast?’ the tattooed, multi-pierced waitress might as well have asked as…
The pain of being second-best
The boys at Radio 5, bless ’em, are now including the EU referendum as part of their sports trailers. As…
Confessions of an England fan
Listen http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/268140526-the-spectator-podcast-brexit-strategy-what-would-the.mp3 If you’re a proper football supporter, getting excited about England on the eve of a major tournament is…
Confessions of an England fan
Listen http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/268140526-the-spectator-podcast-brexit-strategy-what-would-the.mp3 If you’re a proper football supporter, getting excited about England on the eve of a major tournament is…
Girl power
How much strength do you need to win a horse race? Do women have enough? And if they don’t should…
