“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things…” So, it seems as though my usual provender of foodstuffs and non-foodstuff grocery items may have indeed been indulging in a little bit of Doublethink. Regular reader(s) (and, come to...

I had quite an unconventional upbringing. My parents genuinely liked each other and enjoyed spending time with one another. They remained married until death separated them, were kind to their children and never lied to us about anything important. We...

Today is the 94th anniversary of the execution by firing squad of the British nurse Edith Cavell. Cavell was shot by the German forces occupying the city of Brussels after being found guilty of treason for assisting in the escape of some 200 British...

The Tribunal d’Administration in Nantes will hear the case of the saga that should have been a simple bit of voting followed by some fairly straightforward reading of instructions and a bit of easy arithmetic but which turned into a bugger’s muddle...

My day had started in quite a pleasant way. The hound had been exercised and emptied; the malodorous offspring had been fed, scrubbed and dispatched to school, and I was enjoying the warm sensation that comes from eating homemade marmalade in the...