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A rustle in the undergrowth sends birds wheeling above the trees and into the sky. I’m left alone and in near total silence as I look along the train tracks that disappear in either direction. It feels as if I’m in the heart of the countryside, but actually, the Boulevard Périphérique, the traffic-choked ring road … Read more

Name: Flip-flops. Age: They date from 1500BC, although the modern version is adapted from Japanese thonged sandals called zori, brought back by US soldiers returning from the second world war. Appearance: Flat-soled footwear featuring a bifurcated strap with three anchor points. Price: £670. £6.70? I know a petrol station where you can get them for … Read more

We’re hiding behind a dining table, waiting for the birthday girl to arrive. The door creaks open. “Surprise!” we shout. When her shock fades, my friend yells, “I thought the party was tomorrow!” My heart sinks as I realize she’d planned her own, separate party – and hadn’t invited me. After a decade of knowing … Read more

When I pitched the idea for today’s column, my editor’s response was underwhelming to say the least. “Is that even a recipe?” he asked, which is exactly the attitude that inspired me in the first place. Often the simplest dishes feel in the least need of an actual recipe, yet surely I can’t be alone … Read more

I had held out as long as I could, but there was no getting out of it. The catcalls were rising; the baying, cackling audience of under-11s intoxicated by a combination of ice-cream sugar rushes and my obvious, clammy fear. It was day 14 of a two-week summer holiday, and our final afternoon in blissful … Read more

In the little we know of Materialists, the forthcoming film from Past Lives director Celine Song, Dakota Johnson plays Lucy, a successful matchmaker who is herself perennially single and jaded about love. When an as-yet-unnamed suitor (Pedro Pascal) approaches her at a wedding and asks to buy her a drink, Lucy’s response is not so … Read more

I have been with my husband for 10 years and have previously never so much as looked in the direction of another man. We had a regular sex life but when an old school friend got back in touch, we began messaging each other and it quickly turned into sexting. The nudes and explicit, erotic … Read more

Supercharge your research The fear that artificial intelligence (AI) will replace millions of jobs is widespread. But equally, in today’s tough job market, not using AI wisely as part of your search could mean you miss out. It’s a tricky balancing act to harness the technology’s power without losing the human touch. You can use … Read more

The Gulf countries are known for their elaborate rice dishes, many of them inverted, so the bottom becomes the top and the top the bottom. Some of the best and most traditional ones are cooked over charcoal and palm wood in deep underground fire pits, so the smokiness takes over every grain. That isn’t practical … Read more

In the winter months, I crave the comfort of repetition. I want to make a vat of soup to keep in the fridge and have a bowl for lunch every day. I long to discover a TV drama that I have somehow missed and have seasons to catch up on so that I can watch … Read more