Driving north-east out of Madrid on the A2 motorway, the industrial sprawl seemed as never-ending as the roaring river of traffic. The change, when it came, was sudden and complete. After Peñarrubia the heavy traffic vanished, and with it the industrial estates and dull dormitory towns. We were now in Guadalajara, a province of Castilla-La … Read more
Can you help me get £10,000 owed to me by the care home provider Leicestershire County Care? My husband was resident in one of their care homes before he died in June last year. Because our savings had dropped below the government threshold for self-funded care, the local authority had agreed to pay the £5,000-a-month … Read more
Name: Bathroom divorce. Age: New – although tensions may have been simmering for years … Appearance: Two sinks, two mirrors, two toilets. That’s what my bathroom looks like when I’m drunk. It is, in effect, two bathrooms – one for each half of a married couple. One whole bathroom per person? This is a thing? This is … Read more
I must have passed it 100 times. Until one day in 2022, stuck in Melbourne traffic, I glanced towards the park in Bayside and saw mist rising from the trees, as if they had just exhaled into the dawn sunlight. This sight cheered me, lifting the pall of the workday grind ahead. Right then I … Read more
Torrijas have long been a symbol of Easter in Spain, a much-loved tradition that’s now enjoyed all year round. They were originally made to use up old bread, turning simple leftovers into something truly delicious. Here, I’m giving them a very early Easter twist with hot cross buns, which add their own special flavour and … Read more
Eric McBean was living on the 19th floor of a high-rise in Eccles, Greater Manchester, when he had his lightbulb moment. “Everywhere in the building was nice – apart from the bins,” he says. On Friday they’d get emptied; by Sunday they’d be overflowing. “People who don’t even live in the block decide: ‘There’s a … Read more
new video loaded: NASA Astronauts Depart I.S.S. transcript Back transcript NASA Astronauts Depart I.S.S. Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are on their way home after an unexpected nine months in space. The four departing Crew-9 crew members posing for some final photos. Looking once again inside Dragon, Butch Wilmore on the left. On the far … Read more
Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is now accessible across the White House campus. It is the latest installment of the Wi-Fi network across the government since Mr. Musk joined the Trump administration as an unpaid adviser. It was not immediately clear when the White House complex was fitted with Starlink … Read more
When we asked readers of the Filter to tell us how they use less plastic, it’s fair to say few were quite as dedicated as Helen Mann. “I only buy Clipper teabags [which are plastic-free],” she told us, “and I grow my own nettles, nasturtiums, dandelions and mint, then dehydrate them and use the leaves … Read more
It is 7.30am. The sky is a pink-and-gold blur, and the breeze is invigorating. It’s a perfect day to walk from my London home to the source of the River Thames. I’m travelling light – phone, sandwich, water bottle – so I need nothing but a pair of capacious pockets. I have been walking the 185-mile Thames … Read more