Life
The brilliance of Alastair Down
Long before I could afford to go racing I began collecting racing books, my first jumble sale acquisition the marvellously…
Mince, glorious mince
Sometimes, when it comes to culinary history, Britain is its own worst enemy. For a long time, British food has…
Ausie life
‘Now, Jill, what would you like to be when you grow up?’ ‘I’d like to be an equal opportunity commissioner.’…
Language
A Speccie reader (Greg) has asked me to say something about the expression ‘AI’, meaning artificial intelligence. The expression is…
Did I deny my son a shot at the Premier League?
When my youngest son Charlie was seven he was talent-spotted by a QPR scout who saw him playing football in…
Dear Mary: How can we get our messy little boys excused from formal lunches?
Q. To my surprise I have been asked to give a eulogy at the funeral of someone I knew only…
How to buy a house that isn’t on the market
There are many, mutually reinforcing causes of the property crisis: it is too easy to borrow; there are too many…
Meet me in St Louis
Garry Kasparov retired from competitive chess in 2005, but has proved that at the age of 61 he remains competitive…
The slippery business of catching a snake
Dante’s Beach, Ravenna It is strange how events elide and create a pattern whose significance remains elusive. I had just…
How Maggie took her whisky
The whirligig of time brings in his… astonishments. Who would have thought it? Even a couple of decades ago, the…
Spectator Competition: Lines on the leaves
In Competition 3374 you were invited to write an ode to autumn. There was bathos amid the beauty. I regret…
My run-in with Greta Thunderpants
The anger management counsellor stormed through the door and shouted at me to turn the heating up. Hello to you…
Aussie life
Despite historically owning less property than men, women have always exerted a powerful influence in the sector. Like lyre birds,…
Language
When human rights commissions were established both federally and in all the states, we assumed this was a good thing…
The glaring mismatch in English football
Your starter for ten: who was the last English manager to win the top flight of English football? Treat yourself…
Does ‘tummy’ turn your stomach?
‘How old does he think you are?’ asked my husband when I told him my GP had asked me if…
Martin has worn down my defences
Provence My older, adopted sister came to stay. She suffers from peripheral neuropathy secondary to diabetes and is registered disabled.…
Will Keir Starmer get me banned from football games?
Last Saturday, I made the 400-mile round trip to Burnley with my 16-year-old son Charlie to see Queens Park Rangers…
