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…]
Diary
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…]
Authoritarianism
A View From The Greenhouse; Hooptedoodle
A normal Sunday morning, or so one might think. The end of August is damp and fairly breezy up here in the hinterlands, but nothing out of the ordinary for the time of year. My [more…]
Diary
BR And The Weather Versus a G-P Correspondent
We’re off to London chaperoning; myself, Mrs AWS, and our VVIP, the granddaughter of a Chinese injection-moulded plastics billionaire. Our trip has been disrupted by Storm Floris. Only two trains this day head from as [more…]
20th Century
A View From (Just By) The Greenhouse; A Mini Postcard, A Lament
I saw the squirrel before it saw me. It loped towards me by the verge before turning into the yard and setting off up the path, where it was met by Burt and the B&M [more…]
Diary
Through The Storm to The Smoke
After a breakfast of yoghurt and cheese, washed down with a glass of full-fat milk, we made our way to the railway station early. Storm Floris was interrupting myself, Mrs AWS’s, and our VVIP’s chaperoning [more…]
Diary
Dairy of a Chaperone
Many years ago, during my previous, more interesting life and while still in possession of hair, teeth, ears that could hear and twenty-twenty vision, not only had a bamboo curtain been thrown around China by [more…]
Culture
A View From (Inside) The Greenhouse; A Taste Of Englishness
As we get nearer to the end of the growing season the house has taken on a verdant if somewhat chaotic aspect. Normally, by now, the green would be interspersed with shades of red, orange, [more…]
20th Century
An (Algaes’ Eye) View From The Greenhouse; An Civil Society….Innit?
I may have mentioned (I could check back, but I can’t be bothered) that we had an early harvest of small, not very tasty and far from sweet strawberries, following the early warm spell back [more…]