Life
The only things modern Greece inherited from the Ancients are jealousy and envy
On board the Weatherbird off the Peloponnese The old girl groans and creaks as we tack time and again, the…
Jeremy Clarke’s joy at a two-speed oscilating fan in la chaleur TGV
Hotel Trepaner, St Raphael, French Riviera: I have read all ten reviews on this site. The overall rating (given by…
Melissa Kite was the most unpopular girl in her school
If you are bullied at school, you see, you never stop feeling bullied, no matter how old you are. It…
How can you be racist and Italian? Quite easily, it seems
The Italian shop assistant accused by Oprah Winfrey of showing racial prejudice towards her in a shop in Zurich has…
Age triumphs at Ascot
As part of the after-dinner entertainment on a cruise ship recently, I encountered a couple of comedians. One claimed he…
Bridge
I’m on the train back from the Brighton Congress, where I’ve been playing in the Swiss Pairs, and I’m still…
Fawltless
David Howell turned in a sparkling performance in the 100th British Chess Championship in Torquay, which finished last week. In…
No. 279
White to play. This is from Hebden-Arkell, British Championship, Torquay 2013. White is a pawn ahead in this endgame but…
Light touch
In Competition 2810 you were invited to write a light-hearted poem about a serious subject. I suggested you take a…
2126: Word building
The unclued lights can be arranged into a chain of anagrams of 3 to 11 letters in length, with the…
To 2123: Go on then!
The unclued lights are characters from The Goon Show. The paired solutions are 22/20, 32/35 and 37/9. First prize Phillip…
Like my dad, I dream of sports cars. Like him, I'll never buy one
I’m currently in Cornwall with my family and whenever I spend a lot of time with my children I’m constantly…
Dave
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Never seen the need for a class system? Take a long-haul flight
Usually it is annoying when you have to board an aeroplane via a shuttle bus rather than an airbridge. The…
Dear Mary: How will I know if he really loves me?
Q. To ask for money in lieu of a wedding present (Dear Mary, 3 August) is ghastly, but an established…
Enjoying South Africa's secret French connection
One aspect of the old South Africa’s racial policies cannot be faulted. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes,…
Bongo
Alexandra Shulman was on Desert Island Discs this summer and one choice was ‘Bongo Bong’. Its words tell a simple…
Flowers of Stellenbosch
One aspect of the old South Africa’s racial policies cannot be faulted. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes,…
Veterans’ day
As part of the after-dinner entertainment on a cruise ship recently, I encountered a couple of comedians. One claimed he…
A touch of class
Usually it is annoying when you have to board an aeroplane via a shuttle bus rather than an airbridge. The…
Taki: I’m on Hemingway’s boat — but there’s no bringing back the old Riviera
Porto Heli I am standing on the deck of a 100ft schooner that was built in Normandy in 1931 by…
Melissa Kite meets the Greek dog lady on Tooting Common and has words
My spaniel has been pronounced ‘too thin’ by a lady who rescues dogs from Greece. I had stopped to chat…
Alexander Chancellor: I found the key to holiday happiness in a car park
While sitting beside a pool under a blistering Tuscan sun, I’ve been reading an article in Corriere della Sera about…
Bridge
We all need time off from our addictions and August is my annual holiday and break from bridge. One of…
Miles gloriosus
England’s leading female player, Jovanka Houska, recently called for a memorial to the late Tony Miles. The timing is fitting.…
