Comment & Opinion
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Jonathan Self: What I learned from the last garden hermit in Britain
Our columnist's rare time to himself causes him to reflect on his encounter with a man who had nothing but himself for company for years on end.
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Jason Goodwin: How to be a saint (you'll need some tongs and a furnace)
Ancient kings became saints by popular acclaim, says Jason Goodwin — and that is ‘the kind of sainthood worth achieving if you are a modern king, whose life through thick and thin is devoted to helping the less fortunate, upholding faith and caring for the planet.’
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Carla Carlisle: 'I think I sound as English as Judi Dench, but strangers still ask “where are you from?"'
Our columnist Carla Carlisle bumps in to a milestone in her life, prompting her to take a look at the nation of her birth — but her chief emotion isn't homesickness.
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Jonathan Self: How do mosquitoes know when it's Easter?
The arrival of warmer weather heralds many joys — but also one very specific pain, as Jonathan Self grumbles.
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Colin Heber-Percy: 'You literally can’t get it right. Not completely. And yet, so often, we think we can; we think we should'
Although often overlooked, the Easter message is as much about making mistakes as it is about Resurrection. However, getting it wrong and letting go of our perfectionism is the key to a more contented life, says the Revd Dr Colin Heber-Percy
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Patrick Galbraith: 'Rather than asking if she could be next up for a pigeon, she quit. Her liking for oat milk should have given the game away'
Country Life's newest columnist Patrick Galbraith on car washes, dogs and the inevitable culture clashes that come with being a country boy living in London.
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Curious Questions: Why do churches have gargoyles?
Inevitably hideous-looking and often mischievous, why do gargoyles and grotesques adorn some of our most solemn churches, asks Ben Lerwill.
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Jason Goodwin: 'He thought his wife had punched him — but he was down the pub with a six-inch knife sticking out of his back'
A chance encounter in the unlikeliest of places leaves Jason Goodwin with a memory he'll surely never forget.
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Carla Carlisle: Thirty years ago, our farm was on life support. It now thrives — and has 45 people on the payroll
Jeremy Clarkson's travails in farming are as well documented — by himself, in his television series — as they are turbulent. But having embarked on a similar journey herself a generation ago, our columnist Carla Carlisle has words of encouragement.
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Jonathan Self: What can you do with dogs? Their yea is yea and their nay, especially in lashing rain, is nay
It's raining, and Jonathan Self is outside waiting patiently for his dogs to do their business.
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Opinion: It shouldn’t be a case of farming OR the environment — both sides will get more done working together
'Recently, we’ve talked about farming and the environment,' says Cumbria-based farmer Douglas Chalmers. 'The truth is that they are one and the same.'
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Carla Carlisle: 'What do the Sussexes want? How does this saga end?'
Our US-born, Norfolk-based columnist Carla Carlisle was only too happy to welcome Meghan Markle into the sisterhood of American women married to Englishmen. How things have changed since that 'hopeful and happy time'.
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The Ford Fiesta that dreamed it was Noah's Ark
Joe Gibbs tells a tale of roadkill, sporrans and the protected species who can circumvent an electric fence as stealthily as a cat burglar.
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Jason Goodwin: How to drive from Heathrow to London in just seven hours
Press on or turn back? Jason Goodwin tells a story of his friend's navigational disaster and finds more wisdom in it than the odd missed road sign might suggest.
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'Of all the countries in the world, Ireland is the country for ruins'
Jonathan Self muses on the abandoned, forgotten and mislaid objects which dot his surrounds.
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Carla Carlisle: 'Edit your one and precious life. Prepare for Judgement Day. Do it Now.'
Carla has been having a bit of a New Year clear-out — albeit one which started last August, and which is NOT going particularly well...
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Curious Questions: Who started the first charity shop?
Charity shops have become a staple of British high streets in the past decade, and more and more of us are doing our shopping there — particularly as times are tight. But what's the story behind them? Martin Fone unearths the history of the charity shop.
