The Last Wild Game
Ask a keeper to promise woodcock and watch the evasion begin. They arrive from Scandinavia when weather pushes them south, refuse to be managed, and preserve what most shooting has eliminated: genuine uncertainty.
The Hare
The Pheasant
The pheasant is not English. It arrived from somewhere between the Black Sea and China, yet has become the definition of traditional country sport. A look at the bird's odd position in English culture and literature.
Ritual Notes: The Barbers and Bars of St. James's
The barbers and bars of St. James's have been doing things properly for rather a long time. Which is why people keep going back...Three bars, two barbers. Makes a pleasant afternoon - haircut, shave, then round to the bar. The same combination each month, or vary it.
The Grey Partridge and What It Tells Us
The grey partridge belongs to a particular kind of English countryside – one that existed before intensive farming, before broad-spectrum pesticides, and before the landscape was asked to produce quite so much, quite so quickly.
Christmas Cards Without Leaving the House
Not everyone can make it to a London stationer before the Christmas run begins. Fortunately, several sources worth knowing have made it rather easy to order quality cards without leaving one's desk. These are not the digital print-on-demand services that clutter the internet, but rather...
London's Stationers: A Short Guide to Paper, Ink, and the Christmas Post
There is a moment in November when London begins to feel like itself again. The clocks have gone back, the evenings draw in early, and somewhere in Mayfair the scent of ink and warm paper drifts into the street. Christmas cards need writing, and a proper card deserves proper stationery.
Cup Day, Melbourne 2025
Cup Day always sneaks up, even when one knows it's coming. By the time one glances at the morning papers, half of Melbourne seems to have found a hat, a horse, and a reason to take the day off.