Life
In praise of Peter Murrell
When people ask me what my politics are, I have to explain that I support a dwindling faction you might…
The NHS believes in fairness – they treat everyone with equal contempt
Edward Gibbon was troubled by a swelling in his lower abdomen. I have the same condition. ‘Wow. That’s huge,’ said…
Dear Mary: What should I do if the view’s no good with my free tickets to Wimbledon?
Q. Around this time of year a friend, who somehow gets hold of tickets through an agency, usually asks me…
Aussie life
‘Chloe’, Young and Jackson’s famously elongated dining room nude is a Rorschach test for people who say they know a…
Language
‘Codswallop’ means ‘Nonsense, rubbish, drivel’. The experts at the Oxford think they have nailed it down. They write, ‘Popularised in…
Embrace the squidge of a custard slice
Ihad a culinary revelation this week. I like to think I’m an egalitarian when it comes to food – I…
The Derby is the most interesting race of the year – and I missed it
In 1949, the 18th Earl of Derby revived the tradition of the Derby Club dinner in London, three days before…
Was I too right-wing for MI6?
Like many people, I’ve been bemoaning the woke capture of our security services for some time. In 2024, Sir Richard…
My beautiful friend’s beautiful manifesto
Dante’s Beach, Ravenna When I was still beautiful, a famous Italian TV art historian and politician chose me to be…
Why do Americans always want to have ‘the talk’?
‘I’m Native American,’ said one half of the honeymooning couple from Plattsburgh, holding out a small gift as they left.…
The horror of being offered a seat on the Tube
It would have been my mother’s 84th birthday on 29 May. I thought about her as I clattered down the…
Bring back vermouth hour
In the vermuterias of downtown Palma, locals talk of little other than ‘totality’. That is, the moment on 12 August,…
Dear Mary: how can I wangle a private jet invitation?
Q. Mary, can you rule on an aspect of private jet etiquette? I have been invited to a house party…
Who cares if cricketers drink?
Cricketers Have Beer, Shock: well, who knew! This wretched incident in some joint in Chelsea involving Ben Stokes and Gus…
Why gentlemen relish Kemi
As seen in the Telegraph Two thoughts on the sad and controversial death of Henry Nowak. The first is about…
Grab bags are up for grabs
My husband’s task was a simple one: to buy a couple of bottles of water from the Morrisons opposite the…
Spectator Competition: The secret is…
Competition 3453 invited you to describe a new, infallible personal regime that promised to make one healthy, rich and irresistible.…
Aussie life
In pre-internet 1980s Australia, maintaining long-distance relationships in real time was so expensive that for expats like me the decade’s…
