Curious Questions: Why do we have Advent calendars?
This week's Country Life Christmas special is an annual treat, with our special Advent calendar cover. But how did the Advent calendar phenomenon start? Martin Fone investigates.
Comment & Opinion
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'His taste is sterile, but he thinks mine is twee — how will we ever agree on a house to buy?' — Country Life's agony aunt Mrs Hudson offers her advice
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The wonderful tales of Christmas don’t change the difficulties we face, but they do serve to make the world a better place
Christmas is a time for comforting and uplifting stories, with their hope and unwavering faith in human nature.
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Rosie and Jim: A windowless prison cell, yours to rent at just £2,000 a month, and other joys of the London property market
Jim is taking the first step towards a career switch which might one day see him become the new Arnold Schwarzenegger; Rosie, meanwhile, thinks she might have a secret weapon in her efforts to find a flat to rent. I think by now you'll be able to guess that it's not going to go well.
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Curious Question: How did the Victoria Sponge get its name?
Our most beloved sponge cake carries a grandly regal name: the Victoria Sponge. But how did it come to be called that? Ahead of National Cake Day on November 26, Martin Fone investigates.
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The story of the real-life Sleeping Beauty who slept for almost a decade within the walls of this picturesque Chilterns cottage
Once upon a time in the Buckinghamshire village of Turville, a little girl went to sleep. Nothing new there — except that she didn’t wake up for nine years. Michael Montagu tells the tale of the Sleeping Girl of Turville.
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Rosie and Jim: The time I bought a house that came with a 'free' cat
This week, there's an editorial health warning on Rosie's column for those suffering from SAD, while James tells a delightful tale of an unexpected lodger who he found in
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Jonathan Self: Was Eve's apple really a pear? Because I'm pretty sure it was
Jonathan Self points out that the Good Book doesn't actually specify what fruit Eve plucked from the Tree of Knowledge. Among other things.
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HRH The Prince of Wales: 'It is a complex, dynamic and interconnected process... The task is to find an equitable balance between space for Nature and space for food production'
HRH The Prince of Wales writes in his birthday leader article of the many challenges that lie ahead as we seek to balance Nature, farming and biodiversity — and all on a small, heavily-urbanised island with a growing population.
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Curious Questions: Who invented the watering can?
You might take it for granted, but the watering can transformed the art and science of gardening — but who came up with its perfect design, which has been essentially unchanged for over a century? Martin Fone, author of More Curious Questions, investigates.
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HRH The Prince of Wales: 'The UK is one of the most Nature-depleted places on the planet... we have to respond now before the capacity of Nature’s systems is ruptured for good'
Wednesday's edition of Country Life sees HRH The Prince of Wales write his traditional birthday leader article, focusing this year on the huge importance of hedgerows to the nature of Britain — and what we can do to protect and nourish them.
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Carla Carlisle: 'I’m about to expand on my belief that reading fertilises our memories and allows us to visit our past without getting hurt when I see her eyes wander off towards Monty Don'
Books create a powerful connection with the home of your youth, finds Carla Carlisle.
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Why do we need more hedges? Biodiversity, carbon capture, soil retention and water quality, as well as beauty
From biodiversity and carbon capture to soil retention and water quality, the humble hedge provides a solution to a plethora of environmental problems.
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Curious Questions: Where do conference pears get their name?
Conference pears bear one of the oddest and most incongruous names in the world of fruit and veg. Martin Fone, author of More Curious Questions, delves deeper to see how they came to be called what they are.
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Rosie and Jim: Spectacular nature, bitter cold, fantastic parties and the utter misery of flu — the love/hate affair with Autumn
Rosie and Jim just can't agree on autumn — and the division is so deep that they can't even agree on whether to capitalise it.
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Jason Goodwin: 'The collie would come to the shed door for the smallest scrap of affection or touch. After a few months in the village we felt rather the same'
Our columnist Jason Goodwin on telepathic dogs, Pyrenean dialects and animal authors.
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Curious Questions: Where have all the acorns gone?
Last year, oak trees shed acorns by the billion — this year, they're almost nowhere to be seen. What's behind the mystery? Martin Fone, author of More Curious Questions, investigates.
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Rosie and Jim — Fake landlords, bribing estate agents, and 31 renters for every flat: Welcome to the 2021 London letting market
This week, Jim ticks off one of his life goals while Rosie continues to lament the fact that she decided to move back to the capital at the exact same time as literally everyone else.
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What wild Atlantic salmon's decline tells us about the whole ecosystem — and what it can tell delegates at COP26
With COP 26 to begin on October 31, Jamie Blackett suggests delegates take a moment to reflect on the plight of salmon, a great Scottish species in decline — and one that is an indicator species that can help us gain a holistic view of the whole ecosystem.
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Helen von Bismarck: I am a citizen of many places, but Britain was the first place where I felt: 'This is it, this is where I fit'
Dr Helene von Bismarck, is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a visiting research fellow at King’s College’s Centre for British Politics and Government, on her international life and the many perspectives it gives her.
