16th Century
Stories from the Age of Sail
I was going to call this article ‘Wooden Ships and Iron Men’ but then I discovered that Avalon Hill beat me to it about fifty years ago, so ‘Stories from the Age of Sail’ will [more…]
Hobbies
Animals
Larry’s Diary, Week Two Hundred And Ninety-Seven
Monday Good morning, friends, and it was a delightfully sunny one for my excursion this morning. Felix Chicken for breakfast, and a new cabinet. It’s going to be an interesting week. I haven’t stopped chuckling [more…]
Culture
Of Gods And Terminuses
We’re at the front of the queue on platform one in the concrete trench that is Euston terminus, tipped off early by the steward in the first-class lounge as to which platform we’d be departing [more…]
Arts
Ocean-to-Ocean, Part 2
Readers will recall from Part 1 that, for my retirement trip, I had decided to sail across to the eastern seaboard of the US and then travel across to the other side of the continent, [more…]
21st Century
A View (Some Miles Away) From The Greenhouse; We’re All “Far-Right” Now.
Recently I had occasion to visit the observatory at Langdale, a torturous ninety minute drive from home, along some of the very worst roads in Cumbria. It was almost all for naught, although the clouds [more…]
Hobbies
Postcard from a Shepherds Hut
* You may have already guessed this last bit… June 6th is a bit of a special day in the life of Yours Truly as it’s my birthday and Mrs ABS had planned a 3-night [more…]
Animals
Larry’s Diary, Week Two Hundred And Ninety-Six
Monday Good morning friends. The sun was peeping through the window when I woke up this morning, so I trotted down to the back door. By the time the man had opened it, the sun [more…]
19th Century
The Shock of The Modern
Besides excitement and trauma, might the shock of the new also provide a synapse re-ordering adrenaline burst that remodels the brain? As a little boy the make-believe near-future modernist world of Thunderbirds (and the like) [more…]
Arts
Ocean-to-Ocean, Part 1
Having finally become a Puffin-of-leisure in June 2024, I decided that it was time to start making use of my new-found freedom and begin travelling again, something I had previously enjoyed but which was rudely [more…]