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Taki: How I learned to write

13 January 2018 9:00 am

Gstaad  What I miss most up here in the Alps are the literary lunches conducted on the fly with writers…

Jeremy Clarke: Escaping from Colditz with Professor Brian Cox

13 January 2018 9:00 am

By New Year’s Day I’d had enough of festivities. Instead of getting out of bed, I turned over, put my…

Melissa Kite: No more Cinderella complex; no more males rescuers needed

13 January 2018 9:00 am

‘Not being rude, but I don’t think you should do any DIY,’ said the gamekeeper. He had just witnessed me…

Taki: The truth about Ernest Hemingway

6 January 2018 9:00 am

Gstaad When the snow finally stopped, the sublime, silent stars above made for dramatic viewing. Against silhouetted Alpine peaks, starry…

Jeremy Clarke: How I lost an afternoon to two magnums of mid-range champagne

6 January 2018 9:00 am

As I stood there, I was reminded of the man of no fixed abode who, several years back, aged 68,…

Melissa Kite: Could I live without an MRI scan of my head?

6 January 2018 9:00 am

Reluctantly, I decided I would have to throw away the MRI scan of my head. I’ve hung on to it…

Taki: The forgotten heroes of Christmas

16 December 2017 9:00 am

It’s that time of year again. Yippee! And get your wallets out. Scrooges are no longer tolerated at Christmas, although…

Jeremy Clark: Was this a cruise ship — or Colditz?

16 December 2017 9:00 am

We ascended the gangplank and were smartly directed to the ship’s library, where the seated purser swiped my debit card…

Melissa Kite: Hell is a porcelain kitchen tile

16 December 2017 9:00 am

If only I knew whether I would have a kitchen, I could order a turkey. But despite having an almost…

This time last year I was radiating optimism; what a difference a year makes

9 December 2017 9:00 am

As the song almost says, what a difference a year makes: 2017 is not over yet, but it’s been a…

How a human body burns

9 December 2017 9:00 am

I took a dab of antiseptic gel and rubbed my hands together. ‘Alone tonight, sir?’ said the charming head waiter.…

My horse is a cross between Hannibal Lecter and Reggie Kray

9 December 2017 9:00 am

While the vet was checking Gracie, I asked him to take a look at Tara, the old chestnut hunter. Just…

Hollywood is the new Spanish inquistion

2 December 2017 9:00 am

There’s fear and loathing in this town and in El Lay it’s even worse. Torquemada and Savonarola are in charge,…

The pure joy of a boring car

2 December 2017 9:00 am

My pal Charlie inherited a car and a ride-on mower from an old pal. He kept the mower and the…

I’ve seen the new face of veterinary medicine – and I don’t like it

2 December 2017 9:00 am

After a week of cold hosing, I decided I would have to get the vet to the small swelling on…

Everyone’s doing a mea culpa these days — except me

25 November 2017 9:00 am

The faux Leonardo that sold for 400 million greenbacks — plus a 50 million fee for Christie’s — was a…

Treble doubles, shattered glass and a copper on the doorstep

25 November 2017 9:00 am

The door to Trev’s flat was open so I walked in and found him on the sofa watching TV. He…

Dr Google’s verdict? Anthrax poisoning

25 November 2017 9:00 am

Six months into the renovations and I have so much dust in my lungs I have had to give Stefano…

Despite everything, America is beautiful — especially at West Point

18 November 2017 9:00 am

What is left to say after the church shooting in the Home of the Depraved? Those killed in Texas included…

Was there pleasure at Passchendaele?

18 November 2017 9:00 am

At ten to eleven we filed outside the church and assembled in the graveyard around a small cenotaph commemorating the…

Life is tough at the bottom of the equality heap

18 November 2017 9:00 am

The incident I am about to recount I make no judgment about, other than that I believe it tells us…

Why Harvey, Dustin and Brett did it

11 November 2017 9:00 am

A dinner in honour of Arki Busson hosted by Michael Mailer in his brilliant Brooklyn flat on the banks of…

A lament for the best pub in Devon

11 November 2017 9:00 am

We had a hyperbole competition, the taxi driver and I, over the climbing full moon, clearer and brighter than either…

Are my horses conspiring against me?

11 November 2017 9:00 am

When it comes to horses, troubles come in multitudes. Multitudes of lame legs. Gracie, the hunter pony, kicked things off…

Goodbye London, Reykjavik here I come

4 November 2017 9:00 am

I have a message for the London mayor, Sadiq Khan: you and your policies stink! While the fuzz are busy…