• OPINION

  The dictionaries have a word for it

  Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/11/2023

  » It's that much-anticipated time when dictionary publishers come out with their "words of the year". In recent times such words have become increasingly depressing. You may recall last year Collins Dictionary went for "permacrisis" which has turned out to be uncomfortably accurate in light of world events over the ensuing 12 months.

• OPINION

  How two little piggies saved their bacon

  Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/11/2023

  » Following last week's gripping yarn concerning the rescue of Fiona, the loneliest sheep in the world, it seems only fair to report on another tale featuring animals in distress. My thanks to reader Paul Drew for alerting me to the saga of two pigs, Butch and Sundance, who became known in England as the Tamworth Two, belonging to the breed of that name.

• OPINION

  Good chance of being caught on the hop

  Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/01/2023

  » To mark this weekend's Chinese New Year celebrations for Year of the Rabbit it seems appropriate to dedicate today's column to our cuddly cottontail friends, otherwise known as bunnies. Let's hope not too many of them end up in a pie or stew. As a precaution, just be careful when you order "today's special".

• OPINION

  Mushrooms make their presence felt

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/10/2022

  » The most exciting news of the week is that mushrooms were found growing on a seat of an active Bangkok bus. In addition to carrying passengers on the No 82 route from Phra Pradaeng to Phahurat, the bus featured a battered seat covered in newly sprouted mushrooms. Alas, the seat has now been replaced by spoilsport officials following complaints from passengers unimpressed by sitting next to a seat covered in fast-growing fungi.

• OPINION

  Final curtain call for grand old station

  Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/12/2021

  » There is some debate concerning the fate of Bangkok's 105-year-old Hua Lamphong railway station which is scheduled to close at the end of the month. Hopefully a happy compromise can be reached with the station being preserved as a museum and its immediate area a public park. The State Railway of Thailand should also be given leeway to make itself some money, even if it means yet another mall.

• OPINION

  Becoming Long John Silver just for a day

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/09/2021

  » Important news. Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, on which everyone is encouraged to speak in the manner of a buccaneer, sea dog, corsair, picaroon or whatever you wish to call them. If you are desperate Captain Jack Sparrow impersonations will suffice.

• OPINION

  A country so different to anywhere else

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/08/2021

  » The dramatic events in Afghanistan inevitably sparked memories of my own brief experiences of the country more than 50 years ago while on an overland trip from London to New Delhi and beyond.

• OPINION

  Cornish pasty has its moment in the sun

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/06/2021

  » The most important outcome of last week's G7 summit in Cornwall was undoubtedly the appearance of tempting new versions of the traditional Cornish pasty. One bakery came up with a large pasty called "Biden's big-un", while also on offer were "Merkel's minted lamb'', "Macron's mixed veg", and the cheese-filled "Boris' Stilton".

• OPINION

  New passport, pity about the mug shot

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 25/04/2021

  » A fortnight ago I picked up my new British passport. It was pleasing to see it had gone back to the traditional black colour and a similar size to the burgundy EU passports Brits have experienced for three decades. Alas, I probably won't be using it very much.

• OPINION

  You can't escape a rural soundtrack

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 03/01/2021

  » Admittedly it's is not exactly earth-shattering news, but for the first time in 20 years I haven't spent the New Year holiday in Isan (the Northeast). This was not due to any dramas, but simply a combination of factors that made it more sensible to stay in the Big Mango.

1 2 Next Last