Life
My family is divided on the meaning of ‘genocide’
Dante’s Beach, Ravenna We were en route to the junk shop in search of a pair of robust tongs for…
The stealth philanthropy of buying a Range Rover
Even though Christmas is over, I’ve been thinking about the season just gone. There is a tradition of complaining about…
Kiwi life
How very odd that former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern should have led the stampede exiting this year’s now-aborted…
Language
In a column in the Daily Telegraph Andrew Bolt used the word ‘pretendian’. I conducted a careful search, and so…
The lost brilliance of football’s Pink ’Un newspapers
If you can remember Pink ’Un newspapers and the days when FA Cup shocks really were shocks, then God bless…
Dear Mary: How do I get guests to help with the washing up?
Q. My daughter is temporarily living abroad and we communicate daily on WhatsApp. She’s always desperate for any local news/gossip…
A restaurant so perfect I hesitated to review it
Sometimes you find it, H.G. Wells’s door in the wall, but to tapas: a restaurant so perfect you hesitate to…
Are you ‘marred’ or ‘mired’ in scandal?
My husband made a noise which he thinks is like a klaxon but sounds as if he is choking on…
2733: Balancing Act – solution
To CREATE an EQUATION from the PUZZLE NUMBER, INTRODUCE an EQUALS SIGN and RAISE a SINGLE DIGIT. By following this…
Spectator Competition: Dear John
For Competition 3443 you were invited to submit a dear John letter in the style of a well-known writer. The…
Cocklebarrow gives Cheltenham a run for its money
The second-best day of the year is finally here. Obviously, nothing beats the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival –…
My house is devouring me (and my relationship)
The panic of another season bore down on me as the builder boyfriend painted the breakfast room with the green…
The secret life of my friend Evelyn
Provence It’s difficult to believe that Evelyn will be 90 in a few months’ time. I’ve known her for more…
The rise of toxic femininity
At the end of last year, the government announced a programme designed to tackle the radicalisation of young men in…
Aussie life
Most dads will settle for their kids growing up happy, healthy and (reaches for nearest wooden surface) tattoo-free. It’s a…
Language
When something is partly good and partly bad, we used to say it was ‘a curate’s egg’. Odd expression. Why…
Spectator Competition: Alternative facts
Competition 3432 invited you to submit a passage containing some AI-style ‘hallucinations’ (it would be just as anthropomorphic to call…
How to befriend Sudan’s guerilla commanders
Juba, South Sudan After the 43°C heat of the day in Juba, sundown brings a merciful reprieve. My dearest friend…
