Life
Happiness is a chainsaw and a maul in the rain and the mud
It rained all day long last Friday in Provence, and it rained all night, and on Saturday morning it was…
The weird truth about the word ‘normal’
‘Is Nicky Morgan too “normal” to be the next prime minister?’ asked someone in the Daily Telegraph. That would make…
I rode my own racehorse and was changed for ever
‘The last owner who tried to ride his own horse got tanked,’ said the trainer, looking up at me as…
What I learnt trying to buy lunch for an anti-Tory protestor
The mood at the Conservative party conference this week was a little subdued, and no wonder. As those who watched…
What I learnt trying to buy lunch for an anti-Tory protestor
The mood at the Conservative party conference this week was a little subdued, and no wonder. As those who watched…
We let programmers run our lives. So how’s their moral code?
A few years ago, in the week before Christmas when supermarket sales are at their highest, staff at one branch…
Bridge
There’s no doubt about it: I’m an addict. A BBO addict. Since the Bermuda Bowl began, nearly a fortnight ago,…
High life
If cheating is the cancer of sport, losing has to be its halitosis. I stunk out the joint in Amsterdam…
Real life
At least two insurances are going to have to go, as I grapple with fear of penury, I have decided.…
Fair minded
One of Alan Bennett’s characters once lamented, ‘We tried to set up a small anarchist community …but people wouldn’t obey…
2231: On the side
Unclued lights (three of two words; ignore one apostrophe) may be grouped to form a related triad. Across …
To 2228: Unfair
GRASSHOPPERS (9) of ZURICH (30) is a team that plays football — not cricket, as indicated by corrections of misprints…
The vision of Steve Jobs
Last week I went to a screening of Steve Jobs, the new biopic about the co-founder of Apple directed by…
Give Robshaw a break
Pity poor Chris Robshaw. England’s sturdy captain might have a knockout girlfriend and exceptional skills on the cappuccino machine, but…
Low life
Every morning for the past two years, on waking, I’ve reached out for the white plastic tub on the bedside…
Long life
When Robert Peston, the economics editor of the BBC, interviewed George Osborne on television in an open-necked shirt with collar…
Bridge
The 42nd Bermuda Bowl has kicked off in Chennai, and after several weeks of cheat-busting Boye Brogeland (‘The Sheriff’) has…
Homer nods
Paul Morphy, in a strange prefiguration of the later career of Bobby Fischer, was often described as ‘the pride and…
No. 381
Black to play. This is from Botterill-Basman, Eastbourne 1973. What is Black’s best move? Answers to me at The Spectator…
Right to reply
In Competition No. 2917 you were invited to submit a reply from Andrew Marvell’s coy mistress. Marvell’s mix of cajoling…
Battle for Britain
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Your problems solved
Q. A friend of mine is performing a recital in Dublin and has sent round an email advertising the time…
High steaks
Smith & Wollensky is a restaurant from The Shining: a terrifying American steak joint by the Thames, four months old,…
Critique
I lost my husband on the way from Malabar. He is easily lost. We had been talking about the verb…
Battle for Britain
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