Arts
A View From The Farmhouse, Part Two
Tons of soil (h/t Dr Spooner) The farm was bought by my English friend for an amount about the same as the cost of a reasonable terraced house in an English Northern town. In all, [more…]
Arts
Arts
Choose your super power wisely
Not for the first time, the pub conversation of our small group turned to the question of which super power would be the best one to have. It was a sunny summer’s Friday evening and, [more…]
16th Century
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes was born in Alcala de Henares on the 29th September 1547, the second son of Rodrigo de Cervantes and Leonor de Cortinas. His father led a precarious and unsettled life as an [more…]
20th Century
The ’59 Trail, Part One
In May 1959 The Birmingham Mail introduced my uncle’s latest article as follows: Where will you find the last pioneers in this age when frontiers are shrinking every day? In Canada’s Far North – the [more…]
20th Century
West Country Holiday, 1947
1947 In 1947, England was recovering from the devastating impact of World War II, which ended two years prior. The country faced significant economic challenges, including a severe winter in 1947 that caused fuel shortages [more…]
20th Century
G5E4 – Origins of Rock ‘n’ Roll – The Start of The Later Years
Welcome pop pickers. Back to Rock ‘n’ Roll, the start of the later period. This is the sort of music that makes you want to tap your feet, dance, and singalong. Thank you to Wiki, [more…]
Animals
This Sporting Life – Chapter 6
Introduction So, my short series of articles on the nags ends where it began, at Doncaster Racecourse. In the first Chapter, you may recall I set out how my passion for horse racing began on [more…]
Arts
Jinnie’s Story, Book Five – Chapter Twenty-Nine
A rather tense Ro parked her second-hand Ford Focus behind a brand new Citroën C3 and walked up the garden path past another C3. She was still looking at the shiny new car on the [more…]
Culture
A View From The Greenhouse; The Ubiquitous Mission Statement!
I’ve mentioned “Old Jack” and his abandoned (now becoming ramshackle) old house before, on more than one occasion. If it were just about anywhere else in the UK which isn’t a tiny rural hamlet, I’m [more…]