Alice stepped on to the tube train. It was a new one. Without the usual jostling of people and fug of cigarette smoke, she noticed the varnished floors, stylish lights, grab handles and cushioned seating covered in brightly patterned fabric. At Embankment Station, she hurried up the steps into London’s dirty air. The late summer … Read more
A Wycombe fan of sixty years rambles on about football anthems. As a reader of historical and fantasy novels, I know that every clan must have colours, a symbol and an anthem. Sports clubs have adopted these ancient tribal institutions. At Wycombe Wanderers we have our blue quarters, the swan that evokes grace and loyalty, … Read more
Here I come! Floating down aimlessly. You think I’m a white blob because I’m touching other water crystals. Light reflects off us to make you think that. But we are all transparent, and all unique! It’s a miracle enough that we have formed this far south. The right combination of bitter cold and water vapour … Read more
A Clergyman’s Daughter by George Orwell. First published by Gollancz in 1935. Genre: Classic fiction After a few pages of “A Clergyman’s Daughter”, I had the eerie feeling that I was Dorothy. The author plunges you into her relentless routine, and I was soon wound up in it and exhausted by it. She is caring … Read more
Where do I live? Just west of London. Quite near Windsor. Oh, yes, yes, we do have a lovely castle… Hang on, what’s wrong with me? What I mean is that we have a spectacular, magnificent castle! It is the castle of all castles! The trouble is that I take it for granted. When I … Read more
Dripping with folklore Fascinating parasite Toy of harassment. : : Photo: Mistletoe on an apple tree at Cliveden, a National Trust property in Buckinghamshire, UK
In 1632 at the Battle of Lutzen, Swedish troops were advancing against the forces of the Holy Roman Emperor. But mist and dense smoke were drifting over the battlefield. King Gustavus Adolphus, his bodyguard scattered, was lost, deep behind enemy lines. If you have read “Heroes and Traitors”, this will sound familiar. In real life, … Read more
