Town mouse - Jessica Fellowes
Town Mouse is assaulted by Catholic guilt for the carbon footprint which may or may not have been responsible for the lack of snow in the Alps last week


As a Catholic, I should be used to it but there's a permanent feeling of guilt suffusing daily life, as we are constantly told to be more 'green'. I recycle as much as the local council will collect, no longer own a car, turn the television completely off every night, turn off the tap when brushing my teeth, and even joined the local library at long last in order to curb my habit of buying lots of brand new books. One hopes these things make a difference, but how to know?
Last week I stayed in a tiny resort at the foot of Mont Blanc and there was no snow in the village, just about enough snow to ski at the top of the mountain (but only slush on the nursery slopes) and the sun shone brightly throughout. On arriving back home, the weather reports were full of dire warnings for snow, gales and blizzards. A direct punishment for my short-haul flight from Geneva to London? Or merely a topsy turvy weather system, such as we have always known? I'll play it safe, as Catholics do, and atone for my (eco) sins by filling the recycling bags and praying for forgiveness.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
London Craft Week: Rolls-Royce demonstrates the true beauty of real artisanship
A triptych of British nature scenes show that the difference between manufacturing and art is not as wide as we might think.
-
Name that dog: Country Life Quiz of the Day, May 13, 2025
One of Britain's most picturesque streets and Tom Brown's school find their way in to Tuesday's quiz.