20th Century
The Spitfire, of course, Part 4
Musings on the development of the Miles M20 prototype Firstly, a reminder of where we started back in part one, I suggested in the first article in this series that the Spitfire was not an [more…]
GrumpyAngler
Arts
Lino Cut Printing, First Attempt
I’ve collected wood block and linocut prints for years, it is a cheap hobby, competently done prints can be bought for a few pounds whilst coloured prints by famous artists can run to hundreds of [more…]
20th Century
The Spitfire, of course, Part 3
A look at the Miles M20, the “Emergency Fighter” Design and build us a cheap fighter, knock it up out of wood, shove in this night fighter engine, loads of fuel, plenty of ammo and [more…]
20th Century
The Spitfire, of course, Part 2
A couple of years ago I wrote an article here concerning the design of the Spitfire and questioned its status as the best fighter of WWII. I mentioned in that article a follow up piece [more…]
Cooking
How to make bread pudding
Something you hear often, usually the day before any holiday when shops might close for an hour or two, “we might need another.” The bread languishes in the bread bin or fridge patiently waiting for [more…]
20th Century
The Spitfire, of course
Ask anyone from the general public to name a great aeroplane or a great British fighter of WWII, and chances are they will say, without hesitation, “The Spitfire of course.” If you ask why you [more…]
Arts
A Wiltshire Junior School, 1953 to 1957
Change has always come slowly to rural Wiltshire, in 1957 the 1944 Education Act hadn’t affected my schooling to any great extent. The school I moved to after the infant school was one that took [more…]
20th Century
School, and finding a love, of learning
I was an inquisitive child, I wanted to know how, and why. Mum was one of those who thought ‘just because’ was an answer. Dad was much better but worked several jobs so wasn’t around [more…]
20th Century
Off Grid Living, 1945 to 1953
I lived for the first seven years of my life in a hamlet on the western fringe of Salisbury Plain. At about six hundred and sixty feet above sea level it was a fairly bleak [more…]