Comment & Opinion
Comment & Opinion
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You're going to break all your New Year's Resolutions, but don't worry — you're in good company
New Year's Resolutions: we make them, then we break them. However, as Felicity Day discovers, our famous forebears — from Samuel Pepys to Virginia Woolf — were equally as bad at keeping their New Year’s resolutions.
By Country Life Published
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Country Life's top columns and features of 2022
From the characters that inhabit the Highlands to the columnist who got The Queen out of a sticky situation, here are our most popular columns, features and curious questions of 2022.
By Toby Keel Published
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The 2022 Country Life Editor's Christmas Quiz: The Answers
No peeking!
By Toby Keel Published
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The 2022 Country Life Editor's Christmas Quiz
Challenge yourself with our traditional test of knowledge, drawn from all things Country Life, as compiled by Kate Green.
By Kate Green Published
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The Country Life Christmas message, by the Revd Lucy Winkett
As many of us celebrate a simpler Christmas, the Reverend Lucy Winkett is moved by the generosity of those often dealing with their own difficult circumstances and stresses that giving someone your time can be a great gift, too.
By Country Life Published
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The story of Midnight Mass — and why all are welcome with open arms, even those who've come straight from the pub
For the Revd Colin Heber-Percy, a candlelit Midnight Mass service at his parish church in Wiltshire promises packed pews and a child-like anticipation of Christmas.
By Country Life Published
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Jason Goodwin's books of the year 2022
Our columnist Jason Goodwin shares the books that have entertained and enlightened him this year.
By Jason Goodwin Published
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'By the time I reached chapter seven I was nauseated by the sheer volume of stuff I owned'
Jonathan Self's chance encounter with a book shifts the way he sees his belongings... but how long will his urge to declutter last?
By Jonathan Self Published
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Carla Carlisle: Love doesn't mean never saying sorry — it means saying you’re sorry with some frequency
Carla takes aim at the shamelessness of those who lead the country into disaster and stroll off without a word of apology.
By Carla Carlisle Published
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What sort of man is King Charles III, and what sort of king will he be?
A brilliant conversationalist, a cracking host and, surprisingly, an excellent actor, Charles III genuinely cares for people and strives to make a difference to their lives. Anna Tyzack speaks to some of those who have crossed his path.
By Anna Tyzack Published
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Jason Goodwin: I bought a 4lb cheese wrapped in goat skin that looked like a Moomin and brought it 2,500 miles back home. What could go wrong?
Our intrepid columnist goes the extra mile to bring a cave-aged Turkish delicacy back to England — only to run in to a group of guests who give him the distinct impression that they'd rather he hadn't bothered.
By Jason Goodwin Published
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The sad decline of Cambridge Castle: 'How could this happen in one of our great university cities?'
Country Life's cultural columnist Athena bemoans the lack of care shown for what remains of one of the first Norman castles in England.
By Country Life Published
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Jason Goodwin: 'It is up to each of us to keep our heads, do what is right and avoid evil'
A timely pilgrimage to Westminster Abbey sees Jason muse on the notions of sovereignty that haven't changed since the days of Solomon.
By Jason Goodwin Published
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'I've seen a lot of change — but not as much as my grandmother. She lived through horsepower to seeing a man on the moon.'
Lucy Baring reports back from her mother's 90th birthday party, but not before negotiating a phone shop with no phone signal.
By Lucy Baring Published
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Curious Questions: Is there any such thing as coincidence?
Just when you were musing about the nature of coincidences, along comes Martin Fone to explain exactly what they are — and what they aren't.
By Martin Fone Published
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Carla Carlisle: Wallis Simpson's great gift to Britain? Swapping vain, impulsive Edward for the patience, steadiness and kindliness of George and Elizabeth
Carla Carlisle may be a free-born American, but she doffs her cap to the late Queen, the new King, and how Britain's centuries-old balancing act can trump the whims of political mood in a republic.
By Carla Carlisle Published
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Carla Carlisle: The day I rescued The Queen
Carla Carlisle's friends and family back in America are convinced she's on personal terms with Her Majesty. She isn't — but there was that one time....
By Carla Carlisle Published