This is the fifteenth part of a fiction serial, in 738 words. Ricky headed north around the town, then took the twenty-nine going east. He was driving on instinct, and not thinking straight. One thing he knew for sure, he could never go back to Florida. And another thing he was c … | Continue reading
Jill Dennison has updated a famous short poem to reflect the situation in modern-day America. It is very accurate, and worth reading. | Continue reading
A brief perusal of my recent blog stats has shown me that I get at least twice as many views on Sundays than on any other day of the week. This was true for last Sunday, when I had the most views of any day so far this year. It makes sense really, as most … Continue reading Sunda … | Continue reading
In 1979, I heard a song on the car radio, and knew I just had to buy it. My local record shop had the album in stock, so I bought that instead of the single. It was called ‘Minute By Minute’ and was by an American band, The Doobie Brothers. I particularly liked the vocals … Conti … | Continue reading
(The two photos are from Flickr. Clicking on them will take you to Flickr, where they can be enlarged.) Last December, I met up with a lady dog-walker I hadn’t seen for some time. She walks a loveable Whippet named Missy who is always excited to see Ollie and me over on Beetley M … | Continue reading
When it comes to making products that appeal to certain markets, designers and manufacturers let their imaginations run free. I can think of quite a few bloggers who might like to own some or all of these. Cat refrigerators. Cat Caravan. (Trailer) Cat Bed. (For humans) Cat Chair … | Continue reading
Not long before Christmas, I got the news that Ollie had cancer. Hearing that, my mind was all over the place, and I wasn’t concentrating that much on anything else. Around the same time, I received an email in my GMail account. It wasn’t marked as Spam, and was in my usual inbox … | Continue reading
The classic British telephone box is a rare sight outside of London these days. Increased use of mobile phones is making conventional phone boxes a thing of the past. So they are being removed and sold off to become collector’s items. However, many are also being repurposed, to c … | Continue reading
This is the fourteenth part of a fiction srial, in 780 words. Watching the man walking in his direction, Ricky thought he could have come from the set of any modern mafia film. There was the self-assured swagger, the shiny grey handmade suit worn with a black polo shirt, and glos … | Continue reading
In the early hours of this morning, Ollie woke us up by making some noise in the kitchen. He was breathless and panicking, and for the first time since his cancer diagnosis last December, we knew his time had come. He could not be settled, and his breathing was laboured and very … | Continue reading
This is the thirteenth part of a fiction serial, in 755 words. Still driving north on the coutry road, Ricky saw a campsite sign off to the left and took the rutted track leading to it, hoping nothing came the other way. It opened out at the end next to a small lake with a … Cont … | Continue reading
A large oven/cooker made to resemble a VW campervan won a lot of hearts last week. So I found some more items for you! (All designs and photos credited to inspiringdesigns.net) Refrigerator. Toaster. Small Oven/Grill. Blender. How about a toilet? Bathroom sink unit? Bath. Bed. If … | Continue reading
Life got in the way, so there is no epsiode of ‘The Boat’ today. It will hopefully return tomorrow. | Continue reading
You may not have experienced this yet, but today I received the sixth email this year attempting to scam me over use of my domain name. They originate from different company names in China, and are usually well written and appear to be serious. It goes something like this. * The … | Continue reading
Julie has managed to get her blood pressure back to normal, which is good news. Next week, she will be able to present her written record of the numerous BP readings she has taken to her doctor, and that may mean she no longer has to take the tablets. ———————————————————————————— … | Continue reading
This is the twelfth part of a fiction serial, in 752 words. Feeling pleased that he had studied the map before leaving the strip mall, Ricky hung a right before Middletown, heading in the direction of Monticello. Soon after, another right took him onto the two-o-nine heading nort … | Continue reading
Some things just appeal to me, even many designed since the year 2000. Other retro designs from the past have stayed with me since I was young. Here are some I really like. A late 1950s motor scooter designed for touring. The Rocket Clock. A 1950s film camera in bright colours wi … | Continue reading
This is the eleventh part of a fiction serial, in 735 words. Still some way off Middletown, Ricky saw a dated strip mall up ahead, and pulled off to see what was there. At one end was a shabby used car dealership, further down a general store, and an army surplus next to that. An … | Continue reading
My recent post on Art Deco was well-received, so I have decided to publish more photos that I found in that set. I would be happy to have all of these in my 1930s-themed house. If only I had a 1930s-themed house! A large refrigerator. Pendant side lamp. Desk Fan. Wall sconce. Cr … | Continue reading
Today the temperature reached just over 17C (almost 63C) in Beetley. It is now approaching 5pm and getting dark, but it is still 15C. (59F) We haven’t had any heating on since we got up, and I have to keep reminding myself it is February. | Continue reading
This is the tenth part of a fiction serial, in 770 words. Taking advantage of the rest area, Ricky used his T-shirt to wipe the blood off the boat deck and side. Then he dumped it in the trash bin under some fast food garbage. The contents of one of the bottles of water was … Con … | Continue reading
My fascination with tiny cars continues! All of those pictured were manufactured and sold. Most are still sold now, especially in countries of high population density, like Japan. Cars like these are perfect for use in city centres, and I think we will see many more like them in … | Continue reading
This is the ninth part of a fiction serial, in 769 words. As the small door opened, Ricky closed his eyes and squeezed the trigger hard. Cisco had explained how it worked, but had failed to mention the noise. He couldn’t believe how loud it sounded inside the tiny cabin. A heartb … | Continue reading
As well as architecture and vehicles, the designers applied Art Deco lines and style to almost every object found in a house, cafe, theatre, cinema, restaurant, and many public building interiors. It would be my dream to live in a 1930s house, surrounded by things like these. A c … | Continue reading
To everyone out there who is in love, I wish you a Happy Velentine’s Day. But as I always say at this time of year, let’s not forget the lonely, the unloved, the never-been-loved. For those people, this celebratory day must seem like an annual torture. When all’s said and done, i … | Continue reading
This is the eighth part of a fiction serial, in 806 words. After struggling through the traffic around New York City, Ricky was starting to tremble. He needed food, and somewhere to rest. And there were phone calls to make, both to Connie, and Cisco. He dreaded having to call hom … | Continue reading
From the 1920s until the late 1950s, train designs around the world were incredibly impressive. Those imposing locomotives make today’s dull trains pale by comparison. Then and now. | Continue reading
Since Christmas, every time I go back into the tab of my own blog, I get a pop-up telling me to accept cookies. If I ignore it, the pop-up box remains on the screen. This also happens when I go from the blog page into the admin page, or to the stats or media pages. … Continue rea … | Continue reading
This is a short guest post from Gavin Marriott about a change in police procedures in his home country of New Zealand. He has a personal connection, which is explained in the article. https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350175518/concern-over-police-plans-pull-back-family-harm-callou … | Continue reading
Our beloved dog Ollie is 12 years old today. My constant companion since I retired, he has had a great life with us, despite numerous health problems. As you may know, this will probably be the last time we will celebrate one of his birthdays, so here’s a photo tribute to the gre … | Continue reading
Since I started blogging, I have seen a lot of opinions on social media about Margaret Thatcher. She is often praised as ‘Strong’, ‘Determined’, and lauded because she was the first female Prime Minister in the UK. However, one man summed her up nicely, and in my opinion, truthfu … | Continue reading
This is the seventh part of a fiction serial, in 734 words. His mind was all over the place, and the unfamiliar roads didn’t help. Trying to concentrate on heading north, Ricky took the wrong exit and ended up in a suburb of DC in heavy morning traffic. Not having Cisco to show h … | Continue reading
Ollie will celebrate his 12th birthday tomorrow. We have bought him a new toy, a stuffed rabbit. But our hearts are heavy, as he is still losing weight, and has seemed far less energetic on his walks this past week. On Saturday morning we found a small drop of dried blood on the … | Continue reading
Earlier today I mentioned about sleeping late, and a dream that seemed to play out in real time, and in colour. I was still dreaming it when Julie woke me up. On the eleventh of September 2001, I was enjoying a day off shift. Still working as an EMT at the time, I had decided … C … | Continue reading
Last night, I was feeling sleepy before 10pm. There was no apparent reason for that, as I hadn’t had a very busy day. But I couldn’t fight it, and as a result, I was in bed and asleep by 10:30pm. Julie woke me up today at 10:45am, and I was shocked to discover that I … Continue r … | Continue reading
A motorbike-taxi with an upper level. I have no idea how it is accessed. Double decker tour bus for panoramic views. Motorhomes that are literally a home on wheels. Cars with tracks like a tank for bad weather conditions. Old and new. Double-length car. Double-width car. 8-wheel … | Continue reading
This is the sixth part of a fiction serial, in 791 words. With no vehicles behind him, Ricky slowed down. His heart was pounding in his chest and his mind racing as he tried to work out what to do next. Cisco solved the problem, by suddenly mumbling, “Motel. Find a motel. I’m hur … | Continue reading
In the 1920s and 1930s, some inventors seemed to be trying to solve problems that didn’t exist. The ‘Horse Motorcycle’ was invented in France to stop motorcycles scaring horses. The front mimicked the actions of a horse as the vehicle was driven. It didn’t catch on. The Stilt Cyc … | Continue reading
This is the fifth part of a fiction serial, in 777 words. His bluff had been called. Cisco knew there was no way he was going to walk away and leave his pickup. That was his means of earning a living doing the lawn jobs, and he just knew that he would never see it … Continue read … | Continue reading
All of these vehicles had an engine, and could be driven. And none of them were specifically designed for use by children, though in some cases adults just couldn’t fit in them! | Continue reading
This the fourth part of a fiction serial, in 747 words. Fiddling with the Mac 10, Cisco spoke quietly. “Drive out real slow, head for the exit but not so fast as I don’t see them move”. Ricky was beginning to think that Cisco was completely paranoid, but as they drove past the ar … | Continue reading
I’m feeling a bit feisty today! | Continue reading
Long before human space flight became a reality in 1961, people were fascinated by the prospect of alien invasion, mutations caused by radiation, and living on other planets within a few years. This was reflected in the booming demand for science fiction films, novels, magazines, … | Continue reading
This is the third part of a fiction serial, in 800 words. Once the pickup was gassed up, Ricky arrived at Cisco’s place before six. Connie had pretended to be asleep when he left, probably because she was mad at him, and didn’t want to kiss him goodbye. She would change her tune … | Continue reading
Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
Julie’s daughter had the operation to remove her gall bladder on Wednesday as planned. It went well, and she was discharged from hospital 12 hours later, home the same day. There is now some recovery period at home, and she is being helped and supported by all the family. ——————— … | Continue reading
This video from Vintage Treasures has been colourised to bring some photos from that era to life. I love the styles and fashions of the 1920s, so the 30-minute video was a delight for me. It has some advertising in it, which can be skipped. | Continue reading
This is the second part of a fiction serial, in 769 words. By the time they had uncovered the boat and struggled to winch it on to the trailer, they were both drenched in sweat and covered in bug bites. Cisco lit a cigarette and clapped Ricky on the back. “Good work, my man. On … … | Continue reading