-
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.
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Curious Questions: Where do the names of our weights and measures come from?
Arms, feet, local stones and even barleycorn have all played a part in our bid to quantify the world, discovers Ben Lerwill, as he weighs up the stories behind how units of measurement were standardised.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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'.
-
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.
-
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.
-
'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.
-
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...
-
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.
-
Conger eel for Christmas, or how an eccentric laird's plans went horribly wrong amid a shower of blood
Joe Gibbs recounts a dinner party which he will never forget. And neither will you.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Jason Goodwin's books of the year 2022
Our columnist Jason Goodwin shares the books that have entertained and enlightened him this year.
