Arts
The Return of the Native
Sorry to disappoint the diehard Thomas Hardy fans amongst you, but this has nothing at all to do with Clym Yeobright, Egdon Heath and the heathlands of Wessex, nor the love tangles and tragedies he [more…]
Travel
Arts
Postcard from Saint Agnes
I suppose the best way to start this article is to say it has almost nothing to do with St Agnes, the patron saint of girls, although rather weirdly I am unintentionally writing it on [more…]
Travel
Postcard from Iceland
A fat lot of help the Sultan of Oman was. About as much use as a chocolate teapot in the Al Hararis Plain during the hottest hour of an Omani desert day. Creepy sleepy sniffy [more…]
Eating
Caribbean Christmas 2023/24, Part Two
Day 1 – 22nd December, Gatwick to Bridgetown Barbados My alarm woke me at 05:00. In no rush to get up, I lay there for 15 minutes before struggling out of bed. I showered and [more…]
Hobbies
A Postcard from Tewkesbury
Finding ourselves at a loose end a few weeks ago Mrs Reggie and I decided it was time for us to have a day trip to somewhere we haven’t been to previously. Tewkesbury is less [more…]
20th Century
Postcard From Oman
Bob? Remember when I told you despite all the tall tales of derring-do in exotic locations, I work in a supermarket and don’t actually have a passport? Tempted the fates. Something’s cropped up. The sort [more…]
Eating
Caribbean Christmas 2023/24, Part One
This year I’m only off for two weeks, but as I’m flying to pick up the ship in Barbados, so it is a full two weeks in the sun. As a single passenger I must [more…]
20th Century
Monuments, Ley Lines And a White-Coated Jobsworth
Salisbury Plain The 1949 page of our old family photo album is confidently captioned ‘Bournemouth’ but neglects any images of the Hampshire Riviera resort. Not to worry. They say that getting there is half of [more…]
20th Century
Postcard From Kaunas
As 2nd cities go Kaunas, seems at least, at first glance, to be a pretty unprepossessing sort of place regardless of whether you arrive by air, road or rail. Arriving by train reveals an industrial [more…]