Country Life

In praise of menial tasks

NO one would deny that mental agility is a good thing. Almost every week a new survey appears telling me that crosswords, mind games and sudoku will help keep me alert and sentient into my old age. Should I worry about such things? After all, I write and broadcast for a living—two activities that surely contribute to the taxing of my little grey cells and which must be of some consequence in delaying the ageing of

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