Biography
Sailing my life away, part 3
Jacques (As You Like it, Act 2 Scene 7) describes seven ages of man. In looking back on my own life I can identify with the first four and, being near the early stages of the [more…]
Biography
Biography
Jeremy and Seumas – Resurrection
Slouching wearily in an uncomfortable wooden chair, Seumas Milne stared vacantly at the faded orange Formica clock on the kitchen wall. It read three thirty two. It had read three thirty two since the year [more…]
20th Century
Money, Corruption and Power: The Stolen Elections of Lyndon Johnson – Part 1
“I do understand power, whatever else may be said about me. I know where to look for it, and how to use it.” – Lyndon Johnson [The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Volume 3: Master [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…]
20th Century
Men in Crates
The ripping yarns of derring-do served up by AWS are green in our memory, but here’s a caper that is more a case of derring-didn’t. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. Umaru Abdulrahman Dikko [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…]