If you Google Alice Lisle you will find out that it is a “pub serving food with Sky TV in Ringwood”. You may like Sky TV with your food or food with your Sky TV, and it is a lovely pub, often frequented by friendly New Forest donkeys. But make sure if you visit the … Read more
Do you sigh with relief when you flush your pee and poo down the toilet? Or do you take it for granted? I urge you to think! Every time we hear the comforting sound of whooshing water, we should give thanks to the civil engineers who designed the sewerage systems that take our waste away. … Read more
The BBC conducted a poll at the time of the Millennium, to find out who Britons thought were the top 100 Britons of all time. Oliver Cromwell earned a place in the top ten. He was, after all, the only commoner to have been Head of State in the United Kingdom. Although we Brits like … Read more
My favorite narrative poem, since the age of about nine, is the Highwayman by Alfred Noyes, first published in 1906. How’s this for a powerful opening? “The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees. The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. The road was a ribbon of moonlight over … Read more
My lovely sister enabled me to achieve a long-held wish to see the Keukenhof Gardens this spring. I love tulips. I like many flowers, but tulips are special because they vary so much, and every variation has its own beauty. They can be cup-shaped, star-shaped, narrow, full or fluffy at the edges. They vary in … Read more
Three Lions on a shirtJules Rimet still gleamingThirty years of hurtNever stopped me dreaming Ah, there is something so comforting about that football chant. First of all, no one minds if you sing it out of tune and, more importantly, if it is on the TV it means that the grief of the end of … Read more
In “Heroes and Traitors”, the Followers of Truth ban the festivals of the Sudarite religion, and try to impose their faith, which they regard as rational and true. However, they have to be pragmatic, as many of their own converts still cling to some symbolic traditions. When the Father of the People announces that the two … Read more
I like a mug of black coffee to kick-start my heart and brain first thing in the morning, particularly if it’s a writing day! I can remember, from before hearing loss, loving the blues-rock anthem to black coffee, sung powerfully by Beth Hart – Black coffee is my thing, it’s what I need. A hot … Read more
I cut my teeth on writing textbooks, so it was with some comfort that I approached a writing group challenge to write a travelogue. It was fun to play with the balance between creativity and information-sharing. This article was placed third in an internal competition. The judge didn’t like the practical points at the end, … Read more
These days, we worry about exploitation when it comes to training animals to perform tricks for our entertainment, and we’re not that keen on taxidermy, either. Things were very different in the past. By the 19th century in the UK, some animal charities had been established, but for the average mutt on the street, life … Read more
