The moment I knew: it was tender but complicated – then we decided not to hide any more

The moment I knew: it was tender but complicated – then we decided not to hide any more

When mountaineer Allie Pepper met Mikel Sherpa at Manaslu base camp in Nepal, their romance began with stolen kisses and whispered conversations Find more stories from the moment I knew series I discovered a passion for mountaineering in 2000 on a technical climbing course in New Zealand. For two decades I dedicated my life to the mountains, climbing some of the world’s highest peaks including Everest. In early 2022 my marriage ended and I threw myself completely into my dream of climbing the world’s 14 highest peaks without supplemental oxygen. By September I reached Manaslu base camp in Nepal. I was focused on the mountain ahead, not on love. Continue reading...

Rainforests, rivers and sacred sites ‘ripped to shreds’ by feral pigs, Queensland traditional owners warn

Rainforests, rivers and sacred sites ‘ripped to shreds’ by feral pigs, Queensland traditional owners warn

Destruction wrought by pig-borne disease is thining the canopy of bunya pine forests and the problem is getting worse, experts say Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast High up in an ancient conifer rainforest, at what was once the largest Indigenous gathering place in eastern Australia, there is sunlight where there shouldn’t be. Among the eponymous pine trees of the Bunya Mountains, in south-east Queensland, a deadly disease has taken root. Walking through the forest, Adrian Bauwens, a Wakka Wakka man, says pockets of sunlight have replaced what is “usually quite a dense canopy where’s it’s quite heavily shaded”. Continue reading...

‘Desire in one of its rawest forms’: what do we know about limerence?

‘Desire in one of its rawest forms’: what do we know about limerence?

For everything from pop music to poetry, overwhelming infatuation offers inspiration and storylines. But when might this tip over into something a little less healthy? For months after her relationship ended, Anna* couldn’t stop thinking about him. Each morning she’d wake with a jolt of grief; an intense, almost physical feeling that morphed into thoughts of him that consumed nearly every waking hour. Continue reading...

Fran Lebowitz: ‘Hiking is the most stupid thing I could ever imagine’

Fran Lebowitz: ‘Hiking is the most stupid thing I could ever imagine’

The US author and orator on leaf blowers and Labubus, the weirdest thing she has done for love and struggling with contemporary novels I would like to ask your opinion on five things. First of all, leaf blowers. A horrible, horrible invention. I didn’t even know about them until like 20 years ago when I rented a house in the country. I was shocked! I live in New York City, we don’t have leaf problems. We have every other kind of problem. When I was a kid, we had leaf raking. Which is quiet. Leaf blowers are the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen. First of all, they are incredibly noisy. And second of all, 10 minutes after you use it, that big leaf blower in the sky blows them all back. It’s a very stupid invention. Continue reading...