CATEGORIES

Fat-bottomed Ants, You Make The Rocking World Go Round

Ingesting invertebrates might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but, for naturalist John Wright, ants, woodlice and grasshoppers are the lesser of two weevils

Bring Me My Bow Of Burning Gold

Facing a volley of arrows, falling like steel sleet at nearly 200mph, is not for the faint of heart, discovers Graeme Fife, as he relives the role of the English archers at Agincourt.

Ringing The Changes

Distinctly British, but rendered obselete by the march of the mobile, the red telephone box is finding new purpose, as Rob Crossan discovers.

Practically Perfect In Every Way

The designers of the new hybrid-drive Lexus 4x4 have produced a silent, silky vehicle that soaks up the bumps in the road like blotting paper.

Living National Treasure

Parchment and vellum maker

Fetch My Pipe And Slippers

With British-made slippers enjoying an upturn in sales, Matthew Dennison discovers why now’s the perfect time to slip into something more comfortable

Eastern Promise

Lewis & Wood is bringing an exotic new flavour to fabrics

MSPs In Hot Water Over Scottish Salmon

THE names of the salmon farms worst hit by the ‘sea-lice crisis’ have been released to Salmon & Trout Conservation Scotland (S&TC Scotland) after it emerged, earlier this year, that the weight of Scottish salmon farmed in the last three months of 2016 dropped significantly. The identities of the farms were initially withheld by Scottish ministers.

Ever Decreasing Circles

This week, I’ve been reading a book about wabisabi, which is not, as I initially believed, something you might order in a Japanese restaurant, but a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay. I wish I’d known about it sooner, as it provides a fantastic excuse for avoiding chores: ‘sorry, I can’t mow the lawn/paint the gates/ mend the shed, as it would destroy the wabi-sabi.’

Out Of The Woods

At dawn on a still autumn morning, Nick Hammond joins the deer keepers at Woburn Abbey to harvest a fallow buck and enjoy a proper stalker’s breakfast

How To Deliver The Promised Land

The new CLA president on farming’s future and landowner responsibility

The Menus That Made History

From turkey with all the trimmings to chocolate-biscuit cake, the dishes served at grand occasions aren’t always as high-faluting as you might expect

The Love Bite Of A Leech

Closely related to earthworms and used for hideous bloodletting since the Middle Ages, the transgender medicinal leech now helps to control scar tissue following reconstructive surgery.

All Hail The Knowledgeable Cabbie

The Hackney Carriage has been synonymous with London since the days of horse-drawn hansoms and the swirling pea-souper, but Nick Hammond discovers that today’s chirpy cabbie, who has an opinion on everything, is under pressure as never before.

Making A Heavenly Point In The Hebrides

As the old year draws to a close, Adrian Dangar heads to Hamanavay on the Isle of Lewis, where he delights in the ancient sporting art of shooting elusive and wily woodcock over pointers.

Just What The Doctor Ordered

A stroll along the River Cam and a Christmas walk in Gloucestershire.

Made To Last

There’s much to cheer audiences wanting more than the superficial,

Illustrations Of Integrity

Peyton Skipwith revels in this summer’s bonanza of exhibitions and books dedicated to the innovative graphic designer, book illustrator and printmaker

Van Gogh Takes The Stage

Paintings from the beginning and the end of the Dutch artist’s life do well, as Man Ray rides the Underground to New York

A Foolproof Guide To Growing Wisteria

THERE’S a lot to be said for a slow start to spring. Yes, it’s frustrating to wait so long for floral joys after a cold, wet and snowy winter, when army-blanket skies were the order of the day, week after week, month after month. However, late springs reduce the risk of premature growth that can often be severely burned by late frosts.

Those Damn Statistics

The England team for tomorrow’s Test match against Pakistan has been selected under new criteria. Roderick Easdale isn’t entirely convinced

You're So Vein

Marble is being used in increasingly inventive ways

A Whale Of A Time

Birkenhead House, Hermanus, South Africa

Duel Personalities

Only a few generations ago, our forebears were prepared to shoot each other when affronted. Ian Morton reports on man’s fatal attraction to the art of duelling

A Trout-Fishing Haven On The Avon

Armed with Yellow Humpies and Danica duns, Editor Hedges and The Prof enjoy a successful afternoon in pursuit of giant trout on Wilsford Manor’s stretch of the Wiltshire Avon.

Furth, Fortune and fill the Fetters

David Profumo goes behind the scenes at Blair Castle in Perthshire to discover the proud history of the Duke of Atholl’s private army, the Atholl Highlanders

Highly Strung

Matthew Dennison meets the Orkney mandolin man

Estates for all Seasons

After the uncertainty of the independence vote, Scotland is back in business

Top of the Class

The History Boys cast shot from classroom to super stardom, but what came next? Jane Watkins finds out  

We went to Mow a Meadow

ONE of the most fascinating aspects of the garden at Gravetye is our clutch of wildflower meadows, which are a source of pleasure all year round.