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A la Colthard: a Spanish Day in London

Yesterday I went with Alice Mansfield to the Royal Academy to see the Spain and Hispanic World collection of Archer M Huntington, the son of a railroad magnate and avid collector around the turn of the twentieth century of Spanish paintings and artefacts. Alice considered Spanish art underrated [...]

February 6, 2023 // 0 Comments

South Africa v England – the recent ODI series

This series has somehow slipped under the radar with all the spending in the football transfer window and the forthcoming Six Nations. Yet it was an important series to assess the fitness of Jofra Archer and England’s chances of retaining the World Cup in India this October. The South African [...]

February 2, 2023 // 0 Comments

The Tanner Report

Yesterday a Fulham supporter whom I have known for many years – and began his support a year after me – treated me to lunch at the Reform Club. I am not a gentleman’s club man, but even so was impressed by its portals, salons and traditions. It was founded after The Great Reform Act [...]

January 31, 2023 // 0 Comments

The Other Side of the Hill

The title of the book is taken from the Duke of Wellington who always stressed the importance of knowing what your enemy is up to. The writer is the distinguished military historian and strategist Basil Liddell Hart, who advocated fast-moving armoured divisions striking quickly and deeply into the [...]

January 28, 2023 // 0 Comments

Fauda/4th series

My partner Joanna aptly calls is “Foul Up” as the Elite Israeli defence unit headed up by Dorian – once the bodyguard of Arnold Schwarzenegger – goes into its fourth series. They always seem to mess up. Audacity meets chaos (the actual translation of Fauda) which makes for good [...]

January 24, 2023 // 0 Comments

Rugby union’s new “waist and below” tackle rule won’t work

Sometimes one could be forgiven for forming the view that some newsworthy developments just couldn’t be made up if one was writing fiction. It’s just been announced that – in effect – in the the amateur version of rugby union in England, tackles must now be made at waist [...]

January 21, 2023 // 0 Comments

Gina Lollobrigida R.I.P

I was saddened to learn of the passing of La Lollo. Of the big three Italian post war stars – Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale and Gina Lollobrigida – she was my favourite. Sophia Loren, guided by her husband Carlo Ponte, had the bigger Hollywood career, Claudia Cardinale was the more [...]

January 18, 2023 // 0 Comments

Brighton 3 Liverpool 0

After this resounding win over Liverpool the story – like Fulham’s – will be focussed on the demise of the Reds and the future of Jurgen Klopp which is unfair as the Seagulls played so well. From the start they took the game to Liverpool, pinning them down in their half. However [...]

January 15, 2023 // 0 Comments

Jeff Beck – RIP

Time stops for nobody but sometimes a passing touches upon fond memories and thoughts. The overnight news that guitarist Jeff Beck, 78, had died suddenly after contracting bacterial meningitis has come as a considerable shock. In all forms of popular instrumental music – classical, jazz, [...]

January 12, 2023 // 0 Comments

Stars and spies/ Christopher Andrew and Julius Green

There is always the difficulty that any historical account will be so dense and detailed that the reader cannot easily absorb it. No such difficulty here as the authors in tracing the interrelationship between the arts and espionage always keep the narrative the right side of entertaining. They [...]

January 11, 2023 // 0 Comments

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