Arts
My Apprenticeship, Part One
I hated school, but I enjoyed technical drawing. One reason was that I got it from the very first day. For some reason, I could visualise in 3D those flat drawings. I guess my brain [more…]
Biography
America
Book Review: Kick by Paula Byrne
The subtitle of this book is ‘the true story of Kick Kennedy, JFK’s forgotten sister, and the heir to Chatsworth’, although personally I think the title ‘forgotten sister’ might be more accurately applied to JFK’s [more…]
18th Century
20th Century
A Different Class of Murder, by Laura Thompson
We Brits love a mystery, and they don’t come much more mysterious than Lord Lucan. There are lots of books out there about the Lucan case – those of us who were around then will [more…]
Arts
How Puffins Are Made
This post was inspired by Tiredofeulies, who lamented the fact (and it is a fact) that the younger generation seem so entirely unable to understand any concern the older generation might have for the direction [more…]
Biography
Confessions of a Legitimate Bastard
Some of you will be expecting this article to be based around instructions on how to be an absolute, grade 1, greasy shit. Looking at the state of the UK over past few decades, there [more…]
Biography
So Farewell then John Simon Berkowitz
In the foreplay preceding the election of the new Speaker I had a conversation with a friend regarding the significance and power of this position. He was of the opinion that this was a token [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
Meet Markos Vamvakaris (“Mark Cotton”) – Patriarch of Rebetiko
Some things are not quite what they seem: hardly an earth-shattering perception, but you have to start somewhere. I imagine that a fair number of GPers have spent a holiday in Greece. I dare say [more…]