Long life
In the four months since I had a brain haemorrhage I have had several tests to find out how my…
Low life
I took the only spare chair on the terrace of the Modern bar, one of four bars on this Provençal…
Low life
I took the only spare chair on the terrace of the Modern bar, one of four bars on this Provençal…
Chrononhotonthologos
When I ran out of space last week, I was about to mention the way in which some people relish…
status
Whenever I try to use the NHS I end up feeling like Bruce Willis’s character in The Sixth Sense. No…
Our (nearly) golden summer
It seems like a long time ago, but back in the day, when Sir John Major launched the National Lottery,…
Hurrah for Cornish holidays!
After the misery of going abroad for the summer holidays for the past few years, I’m now happily back in…
Hurrah for Cornish holidays!
After the misery of going abroad for the summer holidays for the past few years, I’m now happily back in…
Blessed be the humble
After 30 years in racing it is a little late in Rab Havlin’s career to suggest that he will suddenly…
Blessed be the humble
After 30 years in racing it is a little late in Rab Havlin’s career to suggest that he will suddenly…
Above the law
Because no country can interfere in another’s legal system, there is little the UK can do to help the six…
Barometer
Four-letter surveys A judge at Chelmsford Crown Court who was sworn at by a man she was sentencing to jail…
Diary
Throughout our holiday, reports from Rio rippled in — last thing at night, first thing in the morning — a…
Iron birds
From ‘News of the Week’, The Spectator, 19 August 1916: The Parliamentary Air Committee having recently inhaled much ozone at…
Australian letters
Appreciating cartoonists Sir: Brendan O’Neill’s essay on Bill Leak’s (in)famous cartoon reminded me how much we should appreciate our cartoonists.…
Letters
Losing game Sir: Matt Ridley is completely right (‘Don’t grouse about grouse’, 13 August). I am lucky enough to live…
Portrait of the week
Home Theresa May, the Prime Minister, who was supposed to be on a walking holiday in Switzerland, wrote to Xi…
Out – and not proud
‘Many people are mourning,’ said Sam West on a BBC panel show discussing the response of the arts world to…
Business as usual
I should probably nail my colours to the mast and state that The Office is possibly my favourite TV sitcom…
Young at heart
The second half of the Bolshoi tour brought much fresher fare than the first: following the ubiquitous warhorses Don Quixote…
The Capability controversy
In a piece of light verse from the 1770s ‘Dame Nature’ — out strolling ‘one bright day’ — bumps into…
The Capability controversy
In a piece of light verse from the 1770s ‘Dame Nature’ — out strolling ‘one bright day’ — bumps into…
1976 and all that
Forty years ago, I spent 14 hours in a large field near the A1 in Hertfordshire. I had just taken…
1976 and all that
Forty years ago, I spent 14 hours in a large field near the A1 in Hertfordshire. I had just taken…
Words of wisdom
Dominic Frisby is an actor best known for voicing the booking.com adverts (‘Booking dot com, booking dot yeah’). Voiceover specialists…
