We finally got some summer yesterday, and it’s looking good for a few more days before the rain returns. This has been one of the most enduringly bad summers I can remember, certainly one of the most dismal since moving to Norfolk in 2012. ————————————————————————————– After a lo … | Continue reading
This is the twentieth part of a fiction serial, in 809 words. Corky had passed the Sergeant’s Exam on the first try, and Superintendent Lang made good his promise. Now detective Sergeant Corcoran, he became the right hand man of Inspector Drury, on the team specialising in corrup … | Continue reading
This is a true story from my childhood. In 1960, we moved into a brand new two bedroom council-built maisonette in Bermondsey, South London. (For readers abroad, a masionette is an apartment with the bedrooms and bathroom upstairs, usually in a block of 10 or more) We were excite … | Continue reading
I heve previously written on this blog about how much I like to hear the Owls at night. The soothing ‘Towit-Towoo’ as they call to each other, and even the occasional scream of a Screech-Owl that might disturb my sleep. For a long time now, I haven’t heard them. I thought that we … | Continue reading
I am once again featuring the wonderful Steely Dan in this series. One of their more ‘mainstream’ records, this was a track on their debut album ‘Can’t Buy A Thrill’, released in 1972 when I was 20 years old. It was also released as a single, and had some chart success in America … | Continue reading
This is the nineteenth part of a fiction serial, in 771 words. Alfie Rogers sat at his desk, looking across at Chief Inspector Mayhew. The detective was not taking no for an answer. “We’ve got a City copper fighting for his life in hospital, had a bullet removed from his lung. He … | Continue reading
Humans are always so inventive, but not everything they invent is an improvement, as we can see from these photos. A floating motor scooter. A flying bicycle with ‘wings’. A ‘personal’ submarine. A hover-car. This motorcycle has a tank track instead of wheels. Too many accessorie … | Continue reading
Today, I saw a blog post notification on Frank Scarangello’s blog. My heart sank as I read it, and I felt choked up with emotion. Epilogue: The Front of the Line Frank was one of the first bloggers I followed when I started out. His intelligence, wit, and writing skills made ever … | Continue reading
This is the eighteenth part of a fiction serial, in 744 words. Eric was driving like a maniac, but made time to grab Felix’s head and push him down into the front well of the van so he couldn’t be seen from the street. When they got to the waste ground, the gate was open, … Conti … | Continue reading
A couple of years ago, I changed from the Firefox browser to Google Chrome, as WordPress was no longer supporting Firefox. Over those years, Chrome has been very reliable indeed. Earlier today, I kept getting the warning “Google Chrome Is Not Responding”, and I had to re-start my … | Continue reading
Last night, it was completely dark here by 8:15pm. The non-summer is on its way out, and the evenings are already getting noticeably longer. I had to put lights on in the kitchen when I was cooking dinner at 6:30pm. We have been spared the terrible heatwaves that have affected so … | Continue reading
With his various skin issues caused by moulting and warmer weather, followed by the accident with his dewclaw, Ollie’s trip to the dog groomer had to be delayed longer than we would like. But we managed to get him an appointment for yesterday afternoon, and not before time, as he … | Continue reading
This is a great post from chuq. Read the full memo from the link. | Continue reading
This is the seventeenth part of a fiction serial, in 779 words. For Corky, the week had been tiresome. Sergeant Dinsdale was taking the lead of course, and all he was supposed to do was observe the interviews, and make notes. By Wednesday, he was losing the will to live. The firs … | Continue reading
Ever since the introduction of the Block Editor, I have stayed with the Classic Editor, as I find it more user-friendly. This morning, I wanted to reblog one of Stevie Turner’s posts, and when I did so, WordPress would only allow me to use the Block Editor to do that. Although I … | Continue reading
Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
This is the sixteenth part of a fiction serial, in 760 words. On the day of the bank job, Tommy was tense. He had told Sylvia he should be home by early afternoon, and she should be ready to leave not long after. The drop cars had been dealt with by Eric and Felix the … Continue … | Continue reading
Soon to be embroiled in a terrible war and suffer years of relentless bombing, London was peaceful during the years before September 1939. Various (uncredited) photographers captured everyday life in the city during that time. A woman and her daughters on the roof of Hillcott Hou … | Continue reading
This is the fifteenth part of a fiction serial, in 817 words. Back at his desk, Corky felt frustrated. He was convinced that Pauline had been lured to her death by the promise of the hostess job, and talking to Elaine confirmed his suspicions. But who did the deed? And who set he … | Continue reading
Well, we finally had three days of summer during the past week. Very pleasant to see, and actually quite hot one day. (27C) Ollie spent most of his walk in the river that day,, cooling off. Then we went back to the ‘new normal’ yesterday, with strong winds, dark skies, and torren … | Continue reading
This the fourteenth part of a fiction serial, in 749 words. When Eric got back from Scotland, he was very pleased to tell Tommy that they were not on the suspect list for the Post Office job. “I haven’t had a pull, but I have heard they are trying to fit up some hoodlum types … C … | Continue reading
I have been reading recently that the telephone companies are seriously considering stopping the service of landline phones. They cite lack of use, and new generations not bothering to subscribe to a landline. I don’t know exactly when they plan to do this, but suspect it will be … | Continue reading
This is the thirteenth part of a fiction serial, in 773 words. Before travelling to Camberwell, Corky checked out Elaine Ferris. She had a criminal record, and it was quite a thick folder. Mostly for prostitution, whether running a brothel in her flat, or working the streets arou … | Continue reading
Photographer Robin Weaver toured Wales in the early 1970s, hoping to capture the feel of life in one of Britain’s four very different countries. All photos copyright Robin Weaver. Gossiping in Cardiff. Two neighbours with identical housecoats. Stopping for a chat whilst shopping. … | Continue reading
This is the twelfth part of a fiction serial, in 749 words. After dumping the stolen car, Tommy had to drive Eric to a contact who would buy the Postal Orders for a quarter of their value. He tried not to show Eric how worried he was about the shooting of the employee, but lookin … | Continue reading
Another random selection of photos I found interesting. There is no theme or subject, but they do have descriptive captions. | Continue reading
This is the eleventh part of a fiction serial, in 727 words. On his fifth day working through the complaints files, Corky was learning a great deal about the Metropolitan Police. From the hundreds of complaints he had read, there were so few prosecutions of the officers referred … | Continue reading
Some of these innovations are familiar to us today. Others just didn’t catch on… This device was invented in the 1700s to enable researchers to have seven books open at once and to be able to rotate them for comparison. ‘Cycle Skates’, invented in around 1900. Single wheel motorc … | Continue reading
This is the tenth part of a fiction serial, in 844 words. Tommy was pleased with himself. Teaming up with Eric had worked out well. The unmarked old notes had come to almost two grand each, after Eric took expenses for getting the stolen car crushed and paying off the inside man. … | Continue reading
Late Sunday afternoon, Ollie was sleeping soundly on his rug in the hallway when a noise outside made him jump up to investigate. As he did so, he let out a terrible scream, like a small baby being injured. When he calmed down enough for us to investigate, we discovered that the … | Continue reading
This is the ninth part of a fiction serial, in 816 words. Superintendent Lang did his homework on Corky before the young man was due to arrive. Just over a year as a detective, sidelined into some crappy job in records. No history of taking a bung from villains, or fitting anyone … | Continue reading
Gavin Marriott from New Zealand has sent me this short post, which I am pleased to feature. Outdoor adventure training for our young adults Disclaimer: I want to make it clear that these courses I am referring to are not boot camps for offenders – which have been proven not to wo … | Continue reading
The Lion Farm Estate is in Oldbury. That is in the West Midlands Urban Conurbation, between Birmingham and Dudley. The estate was built in the 1960s; new high-rise tower blocks and some low-rise development to replace Victorian housing that had stood there since the Industrial Re … | Continue reading
This is the eighth part of a fiction serial, in 818 words. By the third day, Tommy was furious. There was no answer on the phone, and he had worked his way through five bottles of Scotch. He was determined to keep trying, and after the long walk to the phone box the next morning, … | Continue reading
Another week dominated by unseasonal weather, sadly. It has been below 20c all week, except for Friday afternoon. And it has rained every day, either overnight or in the late afternoon. Not remotely like the summers when we first moved here in 2012. On the bright side, it has all … | Continue reading
There is a variety of reasons why people believe mass shootings are increasing in America. This short article from the BBC tries to explain some of them. ‘One is that Americans have more guns now than they did before. US gun sales reached a record 23 million in 2020 – a 65% incre … | Continue reading
This is the seventh part of a fiction serial, in 809 words. When Corky was told he wasn’t required at the briefing he sat in anyway, right at the back. Mayhew was as laconic as ever. “Okay, South London hoodlum shot dead in a car. Probably by more gangsters from across the river. … | Continue reading
Peter Mitchell (born 1943) began taking photographs of Leeds in the early 1970s. After studying art at Hornsey College of Art in north London, he travelled to Leeds to visit friends. “I set up a silk-screen studio in the basement of where I was living,” he says. In 1973, he took … | Continue reading
Back in the mid-1960s, Australian groups didn’t feature on my radar. I was heavily into Motown and Soul music at the age of 15, with a smattering of British pop bands in the mix. Then I heard a song on the radio that appealed to me a great deal. I went and bought it, and … Contin … | Continue reading
This is the sixth part of a fiction serial, in 778 words. Norman was wondering what mood Tommy would be in as he drove to pick him up. The thing in Soho the previous night had shaken him up. Norman was old-school. He had done a bit of time in the past, avoided the war … Continue … | Continue reading
This is the fifth part of a fiction serial, in 790 words. At Mayhew’s early briefing the next morning, the Soho incident was glossed over, much to Corky’s surprise. “So, a shooting in a strip club, you might have heard about it. Mario the doorman got the best part of his jaw shot … | Continue reading
My friend Roland sent me two more photos from the night he took the one I have featured previously. For the next one, he included a fiction story prompt that I might well use in the future. “You can ask for forgiveness, you can beg, but there are certain codes that you know we ha … | Continue reading
This is the fourth part of a fiction serial, in 787 words. The ex-boxer walked into Tommy’s office and hesistated as he saw him loading a Webley revolver. Tommy looked up. “Never know when you might need it, no point in having an unloaded shooter lying around. Who was that at the … | Continue reading
For well-over 40 years, Colin walked around London with his camera, documenting street scenes. Most of what he captured has now changed beyond recognition. (All photos are the copyright of Colin O’Brien and most can be enlarged by clicking on them) The Rio Cinema, Clerkenwell, 19 … | Continue reading
This is the third part of a fiction serial, in 814 words. Corky knew that the new boy would get the boring jobs at first. You had to learn to fit in, be accepted, then you might get out and about and see some action. Everything was on index cards and paper records back then, … Co … | Continue reading
There is a tradition of shops selling food in this country, and restaurants where you can dine inside. Over the decades, tastes have changed. Some types of food have almost disappeared, whilst new foreign foods have mostly replaced the old favourites. Fish and Chips remain incred … | Continue reading
Echte Wagner was a German company that was best known for selling its popular margarine. The company also issued collecter’s cards, which had been popular since it was founded. In 1930, they commissioned a series of excellent drawings to illustrate their predictions of how the fu … | Continue reading