K2+K6 Doesn’t Equal K9

I hadn’t visited the Sir John Soane’s Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields for about a decade. It has had some major work done in that period and now looks even more like it did on the day of Soane’s death in 1837.

Mappa Mundi

The Naval Museum in Madrid originates from a proposal my ancestor, Mendoza y Rios, made towards the end of the 18th century. It is only a biscuit’s throw (a favourite expression of my grandfather) from the Prado and is worth visiting for one exhibit alone.

Second Thoughts

How many times have you been told not to be fobbed off with second best? This is usually followed by being told that it’s worth paying a bit more for something that is higher quality. This is misguided advice.

Church Flowers

In the Church of England the period leading up to Advent, the fag-end of the interminable Trinities, is second only to Lent in popularity – if you are on the flower rota.

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Money In The Bank

Less than ten years ago it was a good bet to put your money in the bank. Not on deposit, stupid, but in owning the bank by being a shareholder. OK, there were a few that bit the dust – think Slater Walker, Barings and BCCI, none of which were proper banks, but the real… Continue reading Money In The Bank

A Pinch of Snuff

My late father-in-law favoured High Dry Toast. Norman Murphy, an authority on P G Wodehouse and much else besides, likes Kendal Brown. I have just ordered some Seville. From 1720 until 1981 they could all be purchased at Fribourg and Treyer’s shop in the Haymarket.

All Change

Something strange and unexpected has happened to me. It’s as unsettling as the moment in An American Werewolf in London when the main character transforms into a werewolf. It’s actually so awful that you may not want to read further.

Tie the Knot

Men don’t wear ties and shops don’t sell them. Having left home without one and needing neckwear to visit my club, I popped into Uniqlo and American Apparel on Kensington High Street  –  no cigar. There was no branch of T M Lewin handy so, reluctantly, I went into TK Maxx.

Something Fishy

By the end of this year more salmon will be sold than tuna in the UK. I read this in a newspaper, so it must be true.