Health
Surviving a heart attack when alone
Two daughters duly came to visit last weekend (the third lives in Spain) and after a nice pub meal, a bit of a catch-up and a stroll around the marina in the sunshine I had [more…]
Blog
Arts
Ocean-to-Ocean, Part 2
Readers will recall from Part 1 that, for my retirement trip, I had decided to sail across to the eastern seaboard of the US and then travel across to the other side of the continent, [more…]
Human Interest
The Italian Job, Part 9
The morning came around all too soon and again, after a simple breakfast, we packed the car, said our goodbyes to BF and the children, gave them all a huge hug and it was Alison’s [more…]
21st Century
A View (Some Miles Away) From The Greenhouse; We’re All “Far-Right” Now.
Recently I had occasion to visit the observatory at Langdale, a torturous ninety minute drive from home, along some of the very worst roads in Cumbria. It was almost all for naught, although the clouds [more…]
Economics
A re-cap of economic fundamentals
References to ‘GDP’ proliferate in the business press and news. Perhaps it’s worth considering what it means. The letters stand for ‘Gross Domestic Product’, intending to signify the entire output of the economy of a country: the outputs [more…]
Hobbies
Postcard from a Shepherds Hut
* You may have already guessed this last bit… June 6th is a bit of a special day in the life of Yours Truly as it’s my birthday and Mrs ABS had planned a 3-night [more…]
Elections
Rules for the election
Just as the Grauniad predicted, see it might have been prescient, Bridget Phllipson goes head to head with Lucy Powell for the title of deputy leader of the Labour Party. Number 10 favours Bridget while [more…]
Literature
An Old Man’s Musings Part Forty
Waiting for MOT (passed) I was browsing my volume of the Dylan Thomas Notebook Poems 1930-1934. I came across this piece which I had never seen before. I admit it shook me; in 1934 he [more…]
Animals
Larry’s Diary, Week Two Hundred And Ninety-Six
Monday Good morning friends. The sun was peeping through the window when I woke up this morning, so I trotted down to the back door. By the time the man had opened it, the sun [more…]