May is my favourite month. It looks great, for a start, with the best of the blossom and everyone wreathed in bank holiday smiles. If you’re in the market for a little treat to celebrate, look no further. I’ve got the just-loose-enough new-season jeans and the snap-up-now holiday shoes. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We … Read more
On Tuesday, the Thursday quiz celebrated its fourth birthday. Four whole years of this nonsense! What a joy it is to share the quiz with those who gather underneath it in the comments every week. But there is no time to get carried away with self-congratulations when there are questions to be asked. Fifteen of … Read more
I have always longed to be a lighthouse keeper and now, at last, I am one. If only for the weekend. Look at my chunky-knit jumper! Feel the waterproof weave of my Donegal tweed cap! Truth be told, I am way too toasty in this quasi-nautical ensemble, having hoped and dressed for ominous fog, murderous … Read more
Illustration: Rita Liu/The Guardian What are microplastics? Microplastics are tiny particles of plastic. The usual definition is anything under 5mm in length or about the diameter of a grain of rice. Where do microplastics come from? Microplastics may be created and intentionally added to consumer products, such as the tiny beads in face and body … Read more
As we live longer, our risk of cognitive impairment is increasing. How can we delay the onset of symptoms? Do we have to give up every indulgence or can small changes make a difference? We asked neurologists for tips on how to keep our brains healthy for life. Take care of your health generally “All … Read more
Name: The baby name generation gap. Age: Hopefully it wears off by three or four. Appearance: Thin-lipped disapproval. Is this about changing tastes in baby names? It’s about differences of opinion. Between whom? Parents and grandparents. One in five grandparents say they’ve hated one of their grandkids’ names. That sounds a lot. Luckily, only 4% … Read more
After three decades as a jobbing actor, Colman Domingo finally ascended to the Hollywood A-list in 2023 off the back of Rustin, a biopic of Bayard Rustin, an adviser to Martin Luther King Jr and civil rights icon. But while his performance was brilliant, Domingo’s meteoric rise was also down to something else: his masterful … Read more
There is so much to love about a drink in a tin. Cans can be quickly and easily chilled, with their contents staying fresh; they’re widely recyclable, compact, lightweight and portable; there’s no fear of cans smashing into smithereens; you don’t require any gadgets to open them – and they vastly improve any journey or … Read more
When a trembling dog was placed in my arms in the early hours of a December Saturday I was not too concerned by her terrified state. After all, I knew about rescue dogs. Cabbage, our lovely collie cross who had died at the beginning of the year, had come from a Dogs Trust rescue centre … Read more
It was the summer of 2001 and I was on the brink of adolescence, embarking on my first journey outside the United States to the tropically convenient American territory of Puerto Rico. I was 11, and already the goofball in my group of friends – but, away from those with whom I was familiar, I … Read more