Life
Your problems solved
Q. What should I say the next time I run into a woman with whom I was at art school…
Claret and blues
There is a dive near St James’s which could claim to be the epicentre of international reaction. It is also…
High life
The last week in Gotham was exceptional fun. I saw a Broadway play, Finding Neverland, compliments of the producer, my…
Long life
I wrote last week about a swarm of bees that had attached itself to a wall of my house, as…
Long life
I wrote last week about a swarm of bees that had attached itself to a wall of my house, as…
Low life
The entries are crawling in on their hands and knees for the ‘drunkest I’ve ever been’ competition to win a…
Low life
The entries are crawling in on their hands and knees for the ‘drunkest I’ve ever been’ competition to win a…
Brain fade
‘Aa-aah,’ groaned my husband, ‘we fade to grey.’ He had never been much of a Young Romantic, even when Visage…
Real life
Foolishly, I have this wild notion that one day, if the stars align in my favour, I might be able…
Are the cultural Marxists in retreat, or lying low?
In his Memoirs, Kingsley Amis includes a story about meeting Roald Dahl at a party in the 1970s. Dahl advises…
Are the cultural Marxists in retreat, or lying low?
In his Memoirs, Kingsley Amis includes a story about meeting Roald Dahl at a party in the 1970s. Dahl advises…
In praise of the ‘Don’t know’ voter
I am scraping the edges of my memory here, but I am fairly sure that opinion polls in my childhood…
High life
An operation on my hand after a karate injury has had me reading more than usual. I even attempted Don…
Low life
On 26 June there is a party at the Spectator office at 22 Old Queen Street to launch a paperback…
Real life
Andy the tech guy looked delighted when I told him I had done the stupidest thing ever. He is one…
Long life
From reading the newspapers you might get the impression that honeybees were on the way to extinction. In Europe, it…
Flat pack
Getting to Goodwood last Saturday was an achievement in itself. On the Bank Holiday weekend I calculated a cross-country route…
Bridge
If you live in or around London you can play a pairs duplicate every night (or day) of the week…
Shuffleduck
There are some odd opening moves in chess, such as 1 a3 and 1 g4. The former was used by…
No. 364
Black to play. This is from Westman-Walther, Havana 1966. Black has the possibility of a discovered check against the white…
Occasional verse
In Competition No. 2899 you were invited to write a poem commemorating the birth of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. The…
2213: Surprising
A phrase, formed by four unclued lights, incorporates a definition of the other unclued lights and an indication of the…
To 2210: Game Theory
The future is not for parties ‘playing politics’ (16 29 1A 15) is a quotation by Woodrow Wilson. 1A provides…
Sturgeon doth protest too much, me thinks
I couldn’t believe it when Nicola Sturgeon called for the resignation of Alistair Carmichael, the former Scottish Secretary, over his…
Battle for Britain
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