20th Century
The Only One in The World?
I’m a great believer that surges of adrenaline reshape the connections in the brain in the way a deluge of flood water might reshape a river valley. You are not the same person after an [more…]
Travel
theatre
Postcard From London
Mrs AWS and I are in London having chaperoned a Chinese VVIP to a rendezvous in the food court outside Euston Station. The little girl and her new escorts head off in the rough direction [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…]
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…]
Drinking
Cruising to the Canaries – Part Three
Day 10 – Monday, at sea I awoke just after six thirty to scattered cloud and a bit of movement. We are on a fast run for this ship, about 20 knots, to Cadiz for [more…]
Drinking
Cruising to the Canaries – Part Two
Day 5 – Wednesday, Funchal, Madeira I awoke just after six; it was still dark, so turned over and went back to sleep for another forty minutes. This time it was grey and grotty, and [more…]
Drinking
Cruising to the Canaries – Part One
Day One – Saturday As I have made the Baltic level of the P&O Peninsula Club, I have a few perks on this holiday, one of which is an early boarding time. Today I am [more…]
20th Century
Always Worth Saying’s Railway Review
How I miss Question Time. One hankers after £30,000-an-hour Fiona Bruce pontificating on inequality before a representative audience of progressive liberals who have a relative at the BBC. As our £110,000-a-year elected representatives take a [more…]