America
Film review: Sunset Boulevard
Billy Wilder was born in Austria in 1906 , but became a screenwriter in the late 1920s when living in Berlin. Appalled & concerned about the rise of the Nazi Party, he moved to Paris [more…]
Culture
Arts
Blotto or Blotter?
Since the Spring of 2020, we’ve all had to forego certain things that were dearer to us than others. I particularly miss live debates and political rallies. The last event I attended was the Brexit [more…]
Arts
Confessions of a campsite courier, Part 1
Background For some of you, the title of this piece has probably resurrected memories of certain quality films from the 1970’s. Here, however, I have used the word “confessions” mainly for alliterative purposes. Not that [more…]
America
Check the Edges, Bite the Middle
Part way between Del Mar (Where the Surf Meets the Turf), Reno (The Biggest Little City in the World), and weird Portland, lies the San Francisco Bay area of Northern California. San Francisco itself is [more…]
Arts
The Swaling, Part Thirty
The Diplomatic Corp are jammed into the reception rooms at the British High Commissioner’s residence at Eden Hall. The weather is against us. Not only is there a swaling wind (from the crop burnings in [more…]
Arts
Stir Up Sunday
The last Sunday before advent begins (22.11) is traditionally known as ‘stir up Sunday’. This is when families would come together to make the mixture for their Christmas Pudding, all taking it in turns to [more…]
Arts
Protecting The NHS, Hepatitis C, Covid-19 and The Rest. A Personal Account
Sixty nine years ago, give or take a week or so, I was delivered into this world. My mother gave birth to me in what was then known as “the huts”, a collection of prefabricated [more…]
Arts
The Swaling, Part Twenty Nine
“Do you believe any of this nonsense?” “Of course not.” “They’re not going to sign it are they?” “You’ll see.” Myself and Miss Noor of the Pakistan High Commission, are ‘enjoying’ a presentation as part [more…]
Arts
Further Childhood Holiday Memories
Dad changed jobs in early 1963 and went to work for, what was at the time, the worlds 3rd largest auction house. They were family business based in a turning off Bond Street. Dad’s new [more…]