IT was December 16 in Houston and it was a chilly evening, for Texas. I had a new girlfriend called Molly and I was pretty certain she was the one. We’d been seeing each other for several months, and

Fans of the leading British artist David Hockney will know how much he doted on his pet dachshunds. Sold at Phillips last autumn, Little Stanley Sleeping was a poster made for the show ‘David Hockney:

Our round-up of the funny, fascinating and unusual stories this fortnight

Space scientist Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock is sure there is alien life out there – and she wants a chance to explore it

The British cycling icon talks James Shrubsall through her astonishing journey, on and off the bike

A sale of Modern British Art earlier this year brimmed with the kind of wonderful works that auctioneers find a little heart-wrenching to let go, including a Waterfall full of wild windiness by Sir Kyffin Williams