In this issue

• How to get a green(er) thumb: six easy gardening tips to minimise your effort and maximise your joy

• A conversation with the Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn about human resilience, activism, and his new film, Black Flies

• 100-Word-Story Competition: after months of voting and deliberation, we finally reveal the winners

• The Broadway and West End star Lea Salonga looks back on her illustrious career, including Miss Saigon and voicing Disney princesses

• Love Apptually: we speak to three couples who found love online in later life

EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME

Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.

3 mins

May Fiction

An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month

1 min

Wine Not

In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food

3 mins

Train Booking Hacks

With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices

4 mins

JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN

Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again

8 mins

My Britain: Cheltenham

A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!

6 mins

GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB

Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.

6 mins

Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant

After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”

3 mins

Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World

Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here

3 mins

Stand Tall, Ladies

Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?

3 mins

Eye Health Epidemic

What’s behind the sharp increase in short-sightedness?

3 mins

Happy Days

Dr Max explores an intriguing question: is the pursuit of happiness more significant than the quest for purpose?

3 mins

Walk Of Life

Putting one foot in front of another is simple, convenient and great for body and mind. But how do you make the most of every step?

2 mins

THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT SUGAR (AND SUGAR SUBSTITUTES!)

It’s no secret that we have a serious addiction. Here’s how to cut back on the sweet stuff; once and for all

8 mins

Lea Salonga I REMEMBER...

Lea Salonga is musical royalty. A child star in the Philippines, she originated the title role in Miss Saigon in the West End aged 18. The role catapulted her international career and sealed her place in musical theatre history, with both Olivier and Tony Award wins. She was the first Asian actor to play both Eponine and Fantine in Les Misérables on Broadway and has voiced two Disney princesses

6 mins

Sean Penn "I Feel Very Alive"

The Oscar-winning actor on human resilience, humanitarian work, and his latest film, Black Flies

6 mins

Dances With The Daffodils

Olly Mann explains why a specific fete in Thriplow that marks the start of spring is his favourite event

3 mins

Culinary Grandes Dames

Paola Westbeek celebrates the women who have influenced her journey in gastronomy-from Elizabeth David and Julia Child to Nigella Lawson

3 mins

My Britain: Winterton-on-Sea

WITH A BEAUTIFUL BEACH on one side and the Norfolk Broads on the other, Winterton-on-Sea is a lovely little village with a big heart.

5 mins

Under The GRANDFLUENCE Prince Stash

From aristocratic, eccentric friend of Sixties rockstars to TikTok sensation

3 mins

Steve Conte: If I Ruled The World

Steve Conte is a musician known for his memorable guitar work as a member of New York Dolls, as well as his collaborations with Japanese composer Yoko Kanno on the soundtracks to several hit anime series

3 mins

My Great Escape: Rome, The Eternal City

Our reader Barbara Hull takes a Hollywood-inspired trip to Rome and reveals that some wishes really do come true

2 mins

BOTANIC GARDENS OF THE WORLD

Tales of extraordinary plants, botanical history and scientific discovery

4 mins

THIS BACON FAKERY MUST STOP

I WAS RECENTLY given bacon-flavoured dental floss for my birthday. My first question was: who the hell gives dental floss as a gift? My second question was: has bacon gone too far?

2 mins

GOOD NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Meet the Crufts competitors who changed their owners' lives completely

1 min

HOME AT LAST!

A cat missing for ten years, a dog who disappeared during a wildfire, and more heartwarming true stories of pets who were lost then found

10+ mins

New Love Lexicon

Do internet terms help or hinder healthy romantic relationships?

2 mins

Don't Be A Bystander

The bystander effect sees people simply standing by rather than helping in case of an emergency

2 mins

7 Questions About Pees

The two or more litres of urine you pass in a single day can tell you a lot about your health

2 mins

This is Your Brain Dance

How dance is improving the lives of people with neurocognitive and movement disorders like Parkinson's, MS and brain injury

7 mins

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