Low life
‘Ça va, Monsieur Clarke?’ said a nurse when he noticed I was stirring. It was an effort to speak. ‘Thirsty,’…
The turf
We all know it takes courage to win races over jumps, along with athleticism, stamina and speed. But you need…
Ollie Robinson’s ritual humiliation
One of the more egregious innovations of Chairman Mao’s cultural revolution was something called the ‘struggle sessions’. This involved the…
I miss my messy, unpredictable life
If you ask people what they’ve missed out on since the pandemic, they’ll probably lament their cancelled plans. Weddings postponed,…
Bridge
I would never say that bridge is just a game — for many of us, it’s a lifetime’s vocation. However,…
Real life
A saloon car pulled up opposite our fields and a man sat there looking at the horses with a bewildered…
Sliver
When people say a slither of cake, do they not remember that snakes slither? ‘Slither slide; sliver small piece,’ says…
Noble art
Noble Rot sits in Greek Street, Soho, on the site of the old Gay Hussar, which squatted here from 1953…
Portrait of the Week
Home The government pondered delaying the end of coronavirus restrictions on 21 June. But Chris Hopson, the chief executive of…
Lost love
In Competition No. 3202, you were invited to replace the word ‘love’ in a well-known book title of your choice…
Meat of the matter
Britain has already seen two ‘Brexit days’ — when it formally left the EU on 31 January 2020 and the…
High life
New York It’s party time in the Bagel, or at least private party time. Yours truly is an extra man…
Barometer
Rare Lili Other than the new royal baby, is there anyone in the world formally called Lilibet? — There are…
Follow my leader
On the subject of leadership, the Athenian soldier, historian, biographer and essayist Xenophon (c. 430-354 BC) had much to say,…
CNN broadcasts BDSM
Did anyone else catch the sordid humiliation porn screened on CNN Thursday? The nine-minute clip featured a MILF-cum-dominatrix who works…
The progressive imperialism of Keir Starmer’s Palestine policy
There are two ways to look at Sir Keir Starmer’s call for the Prime Minister ‘to press for a renewed…
Exclusive: Congressman seeks to ban China from purchasing US land
Texas congressman Chip Roy is introducing legislation Friday to ban members of the Chinese Communist party from purchasing American land,…
Is it time to end the G7 spouse circus?
Turn on any television news broadcast and peruse any news stand on the eve of the G7 summit, and what…
