20th Century
De Profundis or How Green Was My Valley?
I qualified as a public health inspector (PHI) in Hull in 1968 and after a couple of years with a rural district council in South Norfolk, at the tender age of 22 I found myself [more…]
Tom Pudding
20th Century
My Meeting with a Midget
1950s Motoring Memories When I was growing up in the 1950s I only knew two other children at my junior school whose parents owned a car. One was the son of a butcher whose dad [more…]
Arts
William George Bunter of Greyfriars School
Introduction I recently emerged from a stunning and brave expedition into the furthermost recesses of our capacious loft space clutching a dusty cardboard box bearing the single word ‘Books’ that had lain forgotten there for [more…]
Computing
How to replace a broken laptop screen
Introduction I suppose I’ve always considered myself to be pretty practical and over the years I’ve rebuilt car and motorbike engines and done all my own servicing and repairs saving a fortune in the process. [more…]
Arts
In Cathar Country, Part Two
Introduction Although the castles in the Aude department of France are now referred to collectively as ‘Cathar Castles,’ the term is misleading in that while their sites may once have provided refuge for Cathars fleeing [more…]
Arts
In Cathar Country, Part One
Introduction In the comments to my recent article about the Conques Tympanum quite a few readers made reference to ‘Cathar Country’ so, as I have pictures from my trips to the region I thought an [more…]
Arts
The Conques Tympanum Decoded
Introduction Back in the 1990s while returning from a jaunt into Cathar Country in our VW camper, quite by chance we made an overnight stop in the ancient village of Conques in the Aveyron region [more…]
Engineering
Le Château de Guédelon
Introduction I suppose it is only natural when confronted by an ancient architectural marvel such as a Roman aqueduct or a mediæval cathedral to stare in wonder and to ask oneself, ‘How on earth did [more…]
20th Century
A Passenger’s Tale
How it all began Not long after our new neighbours Ernie and Maisie Allen moved in next door, my wife and I were invited to join them and a group of their friends for drinks [more…]