Rosé at 10am? I could get behind the French way of drinking
I am writing this in my notebook, on the terrace of our local bar. There is the hum and bustle of greetings, rumbling conversation, gentle laughter. Behind…
We’ve all grieved over something in the pandemic – and we shouldn’t hide that
My smartphone has a habit of reminding me of things from the past. Just this morning, it flagged up a memory of me two years ago, in…
From warlords to dementia wards, never underestimate the transformative power of music
Two years ago, Nick Harvey posted a video on Twitter of his 80-year-old father, Paul, a composer and retired music teacher, improvising a piano piece on four…
Britain opens its arms to Ukraine
The Government’s open-door offer to Ukrainian refugees is generous and courageous, and a dramatic shift from its previous stance of limiting migration to those with family in…
Every home needs a cosy corner where we can hide away from the world
It’s a scientifically proven fact: humans thrive in small, cosy spaces. This is not to say we aren’t drawn to awe-inspiring, open-plan rooms, explains Lily Bernheimer, an…
Everything you need to know about cooking pulses
Beans means… a longer life, according to a study at Norway’s University of Bergen. The research, published in the journal PLOS Medicine last month, estimated that changing…
The pest controller says I have a squirrel infestation – and that’s worse than having rats
Everyone warns you about pests when you move to the countryside. All my friends have fun stories they like to delight me with about rat-infested barns, mouse-plagued…
Too old to be midlife… too young to be old – are you an ‘inbetweener’?
There are huge variations not just in health and life expectancy but in lifestyle, circumstance, needs, hopes, interests and desires. They should all be equally respected. When…
Dear Richard Madeley: ‘I want to cut off my brutish father – but my brother will suffer’
Dear Richard, My father is 76 and now in quite poor health. He’s always been a bully and he made my mother’s life a misery (she died…
How to knock five years off your hands in five minutes
No matter how good your skincare regime is, it’s often the hands that are the biggest ageing giveaways. That’s because as we age, our hands lose fat…
The fashion editor’s guide to wearing a boiler suit over 40
Bouguessa Sally cotton-blend jumpsuit, £505, Net-a-Porter (net-a-porter.com); Blockchain loafers, £245, Russell & Bromley (russellandbromley.co.uk) Take the Bouguessa one I’m wearing here: I love that it doesn’t rely…
Melitopol gets new Russian-backed mayor after predecessor is abducted
Ukrainians came out in protest in the southern port city of Kakhovka on Sunday, as it emerged the local administration was told to prepare for a forced…
How Britons can take in Ukrainian refugees under the new scheme
Britons who take in Ukrainian refugees will only get the £350-a-month payments for the first year despite their stay in the country lasting for up to three…
Russia accused of launching phosphorus bomb attacks
Phosphorus is a chemical that ignites when exposed to air, burning at more than 2,700 degrees celsius. Similar to the napalm used in the Vietnam war it…
‘It’s impossible to convey what I feel’: Chernihiv resident in despair after latest Russian strikes
Residents in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv were left in despair after another round of Russian bombardments left widespread devastation. The city has suffered air strikes…
Ukraine-Russia evening briefing: Five developments as Moscow accused of launching phosphorus bomb attack
5. Progress in peace talks Russian and Ukrainian officials gave their most upbeat assessments yet of progress in their talks on ending the conflict, suggesting there could…
Saudi Arabia kills 81 men in biggest mass execution in modern history
Saudi Arabia executed 81 men for terrorism, murder and other offences including holding “deviant beliefs” on Saturday in the kingdom’s biggest mass execution in decades. Saudi state…
British expat dies in Cancun after execution-style attack in front of his daughter
A British man from Cornwall was shot dead in Mexico in front of his teenage daughter after reportedly receiving threats from a cartel. Estate agent Chris Cleave,…
Ukraine-Russia morning briefing: Five key developments as Russia ‘installs new mayor in Melitopol’
Russian forces increased the pressure on Kyiv on Saturday night and bombarded civilian areas in other Ukrainian cities. It came as Moscow warned the West that it…
Russia warns it will target Western weapons convoys in Ukraine
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson will host Nordic and Baltic leaders at Chequers on Monday night, and for a summit in London on Tuesday, to discuss plans to cut…
The rise of the omni-trip – how to have five holidays in one place
The beach holiday: Isla Holbox Just off the Yucatán peninsula’s steamy north coast, Holbox is a 25-mile long sandbar with a gorgeous beach and warm, still waters….
What happened when a ski-phobe with vertigo visited Val d’Isère
But I could live with that, as long as no one was going to urge me much higher than where I already was. Down on the slippery…
Why we must keep playing Russian music
It was inevitable. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, that celebration of Russia’s successful defence against Napoleon’s invading army, has itself become a casualty of war. The Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra…
Julie Manet, the orphan raised by the impressionists
As a child, Julie Manet – the only daughter of the impressionist painter Berthe Morisot and the sole niece of Édouard Manet – counted Renoir, Degas, Pissarro…
Sex, rage and wigs: the baroque’n’roll life of JS Bach
It is, of course, perverse to write a novel about one of the greatest musicians who has ever lived. Johann Sebastian Bach is the voice of God in…