Curling!

Not hair, toes, brandy snaps or even kale and parsley but those amazing lumps of volcanic rock from the little uninhabited island of Ailsa Craig, just off the west coast of Scotland. Apparently the rock is so hard that’s it’s guaranteed not to crack on impact with another stone. They aren’t cheap either – about £12,000 for a set. Now I don’t know if you have found it as gripping as we have, we knew about the sport but the technicalities are fascinating and the skills needed to make the stone curl are very clever. The ice is special, without certain minerals and all that brushing creates a completely smooth surface, upon which the stone can glide towards the opposition. There are some hilarious joke scenes on social media of ladies mopping vigorously in front of their robot vacuum cleaner and brushing the floor in front of Henry… I think it’s gripped the imagination of so many of us!