Comment & Opinion
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The true story of St Valentine, his legend and legacy of love
Whatever the truth of the real St Valentine, the middle of February has been a favourite time for lovers since records began. We take a look at the curious history of St Valentine, and how an ancient martyr came to be remembered as a champion of romantic love.
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The dance more complex than the most elaborate mating ritual: Or, how to buy a new car
Jason Goodwin travels to East London to negotiate a good price on a Big Diesel Estate.
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Opinion: The countryside is too loud
Pollution as a result of engine noise is just as anti-social as other forms. Who knows what damage it is doing to wildlife.
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Joe Gibbs: 'There are many reasons why a chap might be found crawling across the floor of his London club of an evening. In my case, I was in search of a digital hearing aid'
Our columnist laments on not looking after his hearing properly in his youth, but also notes that being partially deaf has its uses.
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Athena: Perhaps the time has come to be more honest about the importance of beauty
When it comes to buildings of historical and architectural note, we don't love them simply because they are old, but because they are beautiful and engage our attention.
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Minette Batters: 'I naively believed we could help teach our fellow African farmers how to farm. How wrong I’ve been; we have so much to learn from them'
A rewarding trip to Kenya, planning a maiden speech in the Lords and hope for farming’s roadmap in 2025 and beyond.
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Patrick Galbraith: Lisbon, Voices of the Old Sea and some dodgy oysters
On a recent trip to Portugal, Patrick Galbraith was laid up with food poisoning. It allowed him time to reflect on tourism, tradition and the great travel writer Norman Lewis.
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Carla Carlisle: 'Writing a weekly column is like being married to a nymphomaniac'
In her last column for Country Life, our longest serving columnist reflects on what it means to write about herself and the world each week, and why she's decided to stop.
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The Country Life Christmas message by Revd Dr Colin Heber-Percy: ‘The most powerful person in the world’ is not an emperor, high priest or CEO, but a helpless baby in the arms of a loving mother
Revd Dr Colin Heber-Percy on how Christmas shows us that ‘the most powerful person in the world’ is not an emperor, or a high priest or the CEO of a tech company, but a helpless baby in the arms of a loving mother.
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'Conflict, back-stabbing, vendettas, false promises and the taking of malicious glee in others’ misfortune': Why Risk is exactly what Christmas is all about
Taking over the world might not seem the most festive of activities, but a game of Risk will see you through from First Night to the last of the leftovers.
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Jason Goodwin: 'When I was 18, I tried playing it cool. I believed next to nothing. I rolled my eyes at solemnity and ceremony. The business of shedding my cool has been years in the making'
Jason Goodwin on how seeing the world through the eyes of others makes him wonder why he spent years pretending not to be impressed.
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Athena: It shouldn't take a blazing fire for us to see the value in our places of worship
If major catastrophes have any advantages, it is that, by shocking us, they can focus attention and resources.
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Curious Questions: What is a tin tabernacle?
Martin Fone looks at the history of the tin tabernacle, and discovers a tale about the origins of corrugated iron, the history of the church in Britain and how Queen Victoria's ballroom at Balmoral got turned in to a joiner's workshop.
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Minette Batters: 'I don’t believe this Government set out to wipe out the family farm. Yet it will be the consequence'
Minette Batters — a farmer, former NFU President and a Baroness sitting in the House of Lords — has a harsh warning for Keir Starmer's government.
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A spot of Bovaer: The dairy cow additive that's set tongues wagging isn't bad for anyone — and it's just what we need if we want both milk and clean air
Country Life's rural columnist Agromenes looks at the huge improvements being made to the air that we breathe, through the unlikeliest of ways.
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Curious Questions: Did the Victorians pave the way for the first ULEZ cameras in the world?
Martin Fone takes a look at the history of London's coalgates, and finds that the idea of taxing things as they enter the City of London is centuries old.
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Carla Carlisle: We've diversified, modernised and compromise — but now we're farming at a loss again for the first time since the 'Great Betrayal'
Carla Carlisle laments what has become of Wyken Farm — and worries how much worse it may yet get.
