20th Century
TANKFEST 2026 & The Tank Museum, Pt 2
The Tank Museum itself is worth a visit, regardless of whether there’s an event taking place or not. It’s a very large museum and could easily take a full day to explore if you want [more…]
Arts
Arts
Rday – An Icarus who soared to close to the Truth
I had two immediate reactions to the news of Jason Arday’s apparent suicide. The first was sadness, especially for his two children, wife, and parents. The second was to start a countdown to when the [more…]
20th Century
A History of Pop Music – Albums 1969
Featured Album: Johnny Cash – At San Quentin 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 each year [more…]
20th Century
TANKFEST 2026 & The Tank Museum, Pt 1
For Father’s Day this year, my brother suggested taking Dad to TANKFEST, the annual event held at The Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset. Yes… yes, let’s do that! Having visited the museum a few years [more…]
15th Century
A View From (A Harbour Some Miles Away From) The Greenhouse; On “Northerner-Ness”
When I was at school, many moons ago now, history was something that was taught to us without the strictures surrounding Colonialism, White Supremacy, Racism and the usual “phobia”. When I discovered that a replica [more…]
Arts
A Dazzlingly Ferocious Crime Film : Sexy Beast (2000)
Michael Caine was once quoted as saying he appeared in the gritty crime film “Get Carter”as an antithesis to the jokey caper “The Italian Job”. But to sufficiently compare Get Carter and Sexy Beast, one has to first understand the [more…]
20th Century
A History of Pop Music – Albums 1968
Featured Album: Dianna Ross & The Supremes – Greatest Hits 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…]
Fiction
The Not So Secret Life of Jason Arday
Crashing through the undergrowth, Tommy gun blazing, Jason Arday claimed yet another bar for his Victoria Cross as the enemy fell like leaves before him. Or rather he didn’t, as, unlike the ‘real’ Walter Mitty [more…]
Arts
Manouche – Part Two
After leaving the Manouche, I stayed in London for about a year, putting some money together, and surprised myself by getting married to a Colombian lady. While in London, Beudjeu and I still wrote to [more…]