The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhich sport gives you the best all-round skill set/fitness regime? James Bunwell…
Natsiaa 2021: the winners and finalists of Australia’s Indigenous art prize – in pictures
Western Australian artist Timo Hogan has won the coveted National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art award for his work, Lake Baker 2020.Hogan’s spectacular painting pays homage to his father’s country and invites the onlooker to witness his kno…
Young country diary: what’s up with the ladybird?
West Essex: I spot a ladybird in the bush in our garden. But wait! there’s something strange about itIt’s a mild, sunny day and I’m helping in the garden – which means keeping everyone company and chatting away, like the pretty robin that always comes …
Young country diary: it’s ‘Mary Berry’ picking season again
South Wales: It’s summer time and our gooseberry bush is full of fruit (and thorns)The gooseberries are growing again. In Welsh they are called eirin Mair, berries of Mary, or “Mary berry” as my dad says. This year we collected about 200 of them from t…
Good old days: why body confidence improves after 60
A New Zealand study claims men and women become more satisfied with their bodies over time – bucking the expectations of our youth-obsessed cultureName: Happy retirees.Age: Well, as you know, people retire at different ages, typically from about 60 onw…
Tokyo Olympics 2020: day 10 – in pictures
The best images from the 10th day’s action in Tokyo, including diving, water polo, athletics and basketball Continue reading…
Readers reply: how can you prevent dogs jumping at children? How should I respond when it happens?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhenever we go walking in the countryside with our three-year-old, dogs approach…
Doggerland: Lost ‘Atlantis’ of the North Sea gives up its ancient secrets
The land mass that linked Britain to continental Europe was rich in early human life until it floodedThe idea of a “lost Atlantis” under the North Sea connecting Britain by land to continental Europe had been imagined by HG Wells in the late 19th centu…
To the family choosing whether to heat or eat, the energy cap isn’t ‘fair’ at all
The Ofgem price cap is set to rise to unaffordable levels for households let down by this government’s energy failuresWhen the nights begin to draw in this winter, millions of homes across the country will find themselves left out in the cold thanks to…
Young country diary: consider the dunnock, the sparrow in disguise
East Suffolk: This unique bird with a sweet song is often mistaken for others – but not by meConsider the dunnock. This gentle, soft and feathery bird flits about unnoticed, unseen, tidying away the leftover seeds of other greedy birds. It camouflages …