It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,” the Queen remarked in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass. But as I recently learned, it’s a poor sort of vision that only sees what it expects to find.

It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,” the Queen remarked in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass. But as I recently learned, it’s a poor sort of vision that only sees what it expects to find.

You know that moment in The Sound of Music when Maria whips up matching outfits for the von Trapp children out of old curtains? It’s charming, inspiring and completely misleading, as I was soon to find out the hard way.

You know that moment in The Sound of Music when Maria whips up matching outfits for the von Trapp children out of old curtains? It’s charming, inspiring and completely misleading, as I was soon to find out the hard way.

When you move somewhere new, one of the first challenges is figuring out how to find out what’s on – local events, community goings-on, the things that actually make up daily life.

When you move somewhere new, one of the first challenges is figuring out how to find out what’s on – local events, community goings-on, the things that actually make up daily life.

I’m no interior designer, but I’ve come to think of home decoration as a bit like a game of dominoes – make one change, and it sets off a chain reaction. Our domino moment came in June when we sauntered along to the Gstaad Palace Hotel’s garage sale. We bought a gorgeous bolt ...

I’m no interior designer, but I’ve come to think of home decoration as a bit like a game of dominoes – make one change, and it sets off a chain reaction. Our domino moment came in June when we sauntered along to the Gstaad Palace Hotel’s garage sale. We bought a gorgeous bolt ...

Registering a car in a foreign country can feel like braving a dragon’s lair armed with nothing but paperwork and hope. Do you have the right forms? Will you incur unforeseen fees? Will you get sent home for forgetting some obscure document? No wonder we gave the decision to import our car to ...

Registering a car in a foreign country can feel like braving a dragon’s lair armed with nothing but paperwork and hope. Do you have the right forms? Will you incur unforeseen fees? Will you get sent home for forgetting some obscure document? No wonder we gave the decision to import our car to ...

At 2am on 1 January a few years ago, I found myself watching a couple of people get involved in a classic New Year’s Eve stand-off over who should get the solitary taxi which had just drawn up at the Gstaad Palace Hotel. They both opened a door and got into the car.

At 2am on 1 January a few years ago, I found myself watching a couple of people get involved in a classic New Year’s Eve stand-off over who should get the solitary taxi which had just drawn up at the Gstaad Palace Hotel. They both opened a door and got into the car.

You know that song, “The Twelve Pains of Christmas”? It’s one of my favourites at this time of year. As you might guess, it’s a parody on the “Twelve Days of Christmas,” and always makes me laugh so hard. According to the song, “The fourth thing at Christmas ...

You know that song, “The Twelve Pains of Christmas”? It’s one of my favourites at this time of year. As you might guess, it’s a parody on the “Twelve Days of Christmas,” and always makes me laugh so hard. According to the song, “The fourth thing at Christmas ...

We never planned to have any pets. At least not until my husband buckled and agreed our animal-loving son could have a fish. Which, naturally, became three fish (one would apparently be lonely and he couldn’t decide between the other two). Then our youngest child wanted in on the act. Quickly ...

We never planned to have any pets. At least not until my husband buckled and agreed our animal-loving son could have a fish. Which, naturally, became three fish (one would apparently be lonely and he couldn’t decide between the other two). Then our youngest child wanted in on the act. Quickly ...

“You mean to say we drove all this way to eat cheese and potatoes?”

“You mean to say we drove all this way to eat cheese and potatoes?”

Which character do you most resemble in George Orwell’s Animal Farm? You may never have considered this. Neither had I until my literature-loving eldest son posed the question at a recent family gathering. Twenty minutes of feisty conversation later we agreed our family comprises a Napoleon, Squealer ...

Which character do you most resemble in George Orwell’s Animal Farm? You may never have considered this. Neither had I until my literature-loving eldest son posed the question at a recent family gathering. Twenty minutes of feisty conversation later we agreed our family comprises a Napoleon, Squealer ...

Have you seen The Reluctant Traveller? It’s a TV show that follows Canadian actor Eugene Levy as he explores places and cultures around the world. The premise is that Levy isn’t fond of travelling, so his experience is going to deliver something different.

Have you seen The Reluctant Traveller? It’s a TV show that follows Canadian actor Eugene Levy as he explores places and cultures around the world. The premise is that Levy isn’t fond of travelling, so his experience is going to deliver something different.

At 08:05 GMT on the morning of 1 March 1999, Château-d’Oex was written into the history books. Because that was the moment when Bertrand Piccard (CH) and Brian Jones (GB) launched the Breitling Orbiter 3 on what was to become the first successful uninterrupted circumnavigation of the world ...

At 08:05 GMT on the morning of 1 March 1999, Château-d’Oex was written into the history books. Because that was the moment when Bertrand Piccard (CH) and Brian Jones (GB) launched the Breitling Orbiter 3 on what was to become the first successful uninterrupted circumnavigation of the world ...

A t this summer’s Saanen Brocante, I saw a photograph of St Niklaus Kapelle (the little chapel in the centre of Gstaad) taken way back in time. So long ago that the only other landmarks in the image are three barns, a single-track road bordered by a rickety wooden fence and (of course) the mountains. ...

A t this summer’s Saanen Brocante, I saw a photograph of St Niklaus Kapelle (the little chapel in the centre of Gstaad) taken way back in time. So long ago that the only other landmarks in the image are three barns, a single-track road bordered by a rickety wooden fence and (of course) the mountains. ...

Back in 1968 Paul McCartney sat at his piano in the Highlands of Scotland and penned the Beatles’ final number one single “The Long and Winding Road”. Asked about it in interviews, McCartney explained: “I have always found inspiration in the calm beauty of Scotland.”

Back in 1968 Paul McCartney sat at his piano in the Highlands of Scotland and penned the Beatles’ final number one single “The Long and Winding Road”. Asked about it in interviews, McCartney explained: “I have always found inspiration in the calm beauty of Scotland.”

“I don’t eat meat,” a former colleague assured me as he tucked into a plate of wild boar, “but I make an exception during game season.”

“I don’t eat meat,” a former colleague assured me as he tucked into a plate of wild boar, “but I make an exception during game season.”

Fun fact: years before ‘Star Wars’ burst onto our screens in 1977, British weightlifting champion David Prowse (AKA Darth Vader) played a different role: the costumed superhero character ‘Green Cross Man’. He appeared in a series of public information films to promote pedestrian ...

Fun fact: years before ‘Star Wars’ burst onto our screens in 1977, British weightlifting champion David Prowse (AKA Darth Vader) played a different role: the costumed superhero character ‘Green Cross Man’. He appeared in a series of public information films to promote pedestrian ...

“ Thank you so much for having Charlie come to stay,” said Jane as she bundled her son into our car for a half-term visit. “He eats most things but isn’t keen on butter in sandwiches and I can never get him to drink milk.”

“ Thank you so much for having Charlie come to stay,” said Jane as she bundled her son into our car for a half-term visit. “He eats most things but isn’t keen on butter in sandwiches and I can never get him to drink milk.”

I’m not much into sport. Yes, I enjoy an early morning run and play the odd round of mini-golf (if that qualifies?), but that’s about it. When it comes to being a spectator, I’m hardly more enthusiastic, with the one exception of snooker – a sport I’ve loved since the age ...

I’m not much into sport. Yes, I enjoy an early morning run and play the odd round of mini-golf (if that qualifies?), but that’s about it. When it comes to being a spectator, I’m hardly more enthusiastic, with the one exception of snooker – a sport I’ve loved since the age ...

“ Trains are wonderful … To travel by train is to see nature and human beings, towns and churches and rivers, in fact, to see life.”

“ Trains are wonderful … To travel by train is to see nature and human beings, towns and churches and rivers, in fact, to see life.”

As 2022 draws to a close, towns and cities around the world are putting the finishing touches to their New Year’s Eve plans. In London, Big Ben will once again play a central role, its bongs ringing out across the city after a multi-million pound renovation.

As 2022 draws to a close, towns and cities around the world are putting the finishing touches to their New Year’s Eve plans. In London, Big Ben will once again play a central role, its bongs ringing out across the city after a multi-million pound renovation.