Arts
A Glass Half Full
In a previous article, I asked whether you had ever gazed into your pint and wondered about the beginnings of beer and brewing. This time, I’ll ask you another question. It’s about the pint pot [more…]
Drinking
Arts
Bottoms Up!
To these gloomy pandemic-filled days, I’d like to bring a little cheer. For months I have, of course, not ‘read the comments’ posted by this assortment of scoundrel and rapscallion Fraterculae. Without having viewed such [more…]
Arts
Life In A Hungarian Village
Our village is situated in Vas County, the far west of Hungary close to the Austrian border and is surrounded by forest and agricultural land. Although we can see the Alps in the distance this [more…]
Animals
Reasons to be cheerful
Having lurked around these parts for a while quietly enjoying the conversation, I know that a lot of people on here worry about what sort of world our children will inherit. Although reports on the [more…]
19th Century
When Popes Took Coke
The rise and fall of coca wine Coca leaves have been used as a stimulant in South America for over a thousand years, especially in the Andes to overcome the fatigue of living and working [more…]
Arts
Postcard From Zakynthos (Outtake)
As I pointed out in my previous missive from Zakynthos, the weather for the Thursday of our Greek adventure wasn’t going to be anything to write home about (I’ve never let that stop me before) [more…]
Arts
Postcard From Zakynthos
It isn’t just about swanning around the Lake District, visiting friends in Devon, Air B&B’ing to Barcelona, holidaying on the West coast of Scotland or nipping down to Essex for a couple of beers. There [more…]
Biography
The Erdington Chapter
‘Brothir, seyede Sir Launcelot, wyte you well I am full loth to departe out of thys reyllme, but that the Quene hath defended me so hyghly that mesemmeth she wyll nevir be my gode ladye [more…]
Arts
A (short) Postcard From “The Firkin Fox”
I have a good friend who lives in Essex, although we are very different people we’ve always got along well since we first met, we share a sense of humour that not everyone gets. We [more…]