Literature
An Old Man’s Musings Part Seven
When ever I start one of these pieces I begin to feel a touch of the Victor Meldrew’s coming on – there is so much to delight happening around (c.f. many of the lovely articles [more…]
Literature
Animals
Larry’s Diary, Week Two Hundred And Fifty-Nine
Monday Good morning and welcome to another week of my diary. Today is the 11th, the real Armistice Day, and Palestinians are threatening to disrupt services around the country. Legohead is off to Paris to [more…]
19th Century
Enemies Within: Anarchy!
Only the nieve might think the nighttime streets of 1894 Soho, a den of immigrants and nere-do-goods, were not already alive with talk of the events of the previous chilly February afternoon. Passers-by investigating an [more…]
Fiction
Those Who Play With Fire, Chapter Nineteen
They sat in the back of the Range Rover as they were whisked off to the rear entrance to Downing Street. Dave and Sally were led in through a guarded doorway. The passes were now [more…]
Arts
Always Worth Saying’s Question Time Review
Question Time 21st November 2024 The Panel: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour) Harriett Baldwin (Conservative) Daisy Cooper (LibDem) Minette Batters (former NFU president) Venue: Trowbridge Nick Thomas-Symonds, not his real name (not double-barrelled; Thomas was his mother’s [more…]
Fiction
Jinnie’s Story – Book Seven, Chapter Twenty-Two
Jinnie pushed the button that changed the Trattoria Trevi Group boardroom’s glazed partitions from transparent to opaque and called the meeting to order. Before talking about the project, she impressed on everyone the importance of [more…]
20th Century
The Barbers of Palermo
22 January 1944 And so we came to Palermo. A crumbling, pink-and-white little town where they sell oranges and almonds and mandolins and guitars, and very little else. Such an insignificant little town that even [more…]
Hobbies
South Devon, Part Two
It takes a week to cycle from Penzance to Berwick. It took me 40 years. Because on the way, I wanted to include every town in England, in what amounted to some two years of [more…]
Animals
Larry’s Diary, Week Two Hundred And Fifty-Eight
Monday Good morning and welcome to another week of my tales. It is very grey again here in Westminster but at least it’s not raining. I made the mistake of stepping on the grass this [more…]