Peter Rhodes on bidding farewell to old things and being lectured by young things
Don't mention the war. In a warm and perceptive article on how much the Germans “love and envy” the Brits (inspired by Harry Kane moving to Munich), German columnist Alexander von Schoenburg refers obliquely to the Brits' obsession with “your twin victories in the first half of the 20th Century.”
Actually, it's three victories. We usually count the results for the entire century, including 1966.
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Farewell, old friends. In the space of a few days, two of my prized possessions from days of yore have given up the ghost.
My Dunn & Co summer jacket, at least 30 years old, my companion on jobs all around the world, has developed a terminal rip. Meanwhile, my plastic shopping bag from the great Scottish store Jenners, of about the same vintage, has parted company with its handle and, after multiple fixes with staples and pop rivets, finally seems beyond repair.