Hobbies
Crossword No. 149
In the week that John le Carre passed away and the Zodiac killer’s code was cracked, today’s crossword clues use a code invented by a roman emperor to hide his communications from the masses… enjoy! [more…]
Blog
20th Century
A History of Pop Music – Albums 1970
Featured Album: Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water This is a series of articles looking at albums from 1960 to whatever year we end up in. I will select a featured album for [more…]
Animals
Wildfowling: Where it all began
This was harder to write than my previous two wildfowling articles because it’s not easy for me to clearly remember something that happened 25 years ago. I’ve never been one for recording stuff in a [more…]
21st Century
After The Gold Rush
I dreamed I saw the silver spaceships Lying in the yellow haze of the sun There were children crying and colours flying All around the chosen ones All in a dream, all in a dream [more…]
Arts
Marilyn: The Enduring Appeal
In 1962, Bert Stern was amongst the most celebrated photojournalists of the era. His images of Liz Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, & Brando defined the glitz & glamour of the post-war era. His schtick on fashion [more…]
Literature
Lords and Ladies, Part Five
‘Pull those ropes tighter, damn your eyes,’ raved Boggart, stalking feverishly up and down in front of the contenders, ‘I want this net to be as taut as a camel’s arse in a sandstorm.’ A [more…]
Arts
A Christmas Trip to Remember
Mum, Dad, Big Brother and I were off to stay with my aunt and uncle in a small Yorkshire village for Christmas. I had passed my driving test about a year earlier and was to [more…]
20th Century
Money, Corruption and Power: The Stolen Elections of Lyndon Johnson – Part 4
“[Johnson had] the utter inability to comprehend the questions of morality or ethics raised by his actions, an utter inability to feel that there was even a possibility that he had violated accepted standards of [more…]
Biography
Sailing my life away, part 4
I was able to reach a conclusion on the most suitable hull material and shape for my yacht based mainly on what may be called desk research – reading books and magazines. To some extent [more…]