17th and 18th Century Operations or My Deep Respect for Anaesthesia

I’ve been gone for a while. The first reason for this is “mommybloggers”. The good women of mumsnet made me cry, quite hysterically, for a whole day and they scared me off the internet for a bit longer than that. After an exhaustive session of alliterative insult-creation with friends – vicious viragos, back-biting behemoths, matza-minded mushbags – I … Continue reading →

Who Do You Think They Are?

Who comes to mind when I tell you the following? He was a middle-class London lad with serious aspirations. He studied in Paris. He had a penchant for wearing silks and furs and threw the most lavish parties in town. He had over 150 knights in his service. He owned six ships and was partial to blood sports. He … Continue reading →

Men Behaving Badly: Jacob Zuma, Samuel Pepys and Julius Jeppe

The president of South Africa, Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, who turned 70 on 12 April this year, announced yesterday that he would be marrying his fourth wife this coming weekend. It will be his sixth marriage. He divorced one wife in 1998 and another committed suicide in 2000 but 1, 2 and 3 are happy Mrs Zumas and can … Continue reading →