Our plans for Christmas 2022 were very simple. Nothing remotely grand, just a Christmas Morning visit to Julie’s children to see everyone open their presents, then back to Beetley to get ready for the traditional meal in a restaurant at 3:30pm. Just the two of us, booked well in … | Continue reading
I have done my best to reply to comments and comment on other blogs today, but now I am overwhelmed by coughing and other symptoms. I have tested neagtive for Covid once again this morning, so feel it must be Flu or Bronchitis. Whatever it is, I don’t feel up to writing anything … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-second part of a fiction serial, in 796 words. When I finally got a phone number for Graham that he actually answered, he told me he knew that his mum was on a downward spiral. He had travelled up from Brighton to see her in her small flat, and she had been … C … | Continue reading
**UPDATE. I tested negative, Julie is still positive.** I developed an annoying tickly cough on Saturday evening. I still had it yesterday when I got up. After messing around trying to get some warmth into the house, I took Ollie out for his walk. It was bitterly cold, mainly bec … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-first part of a fiction serial, in 825 words. The next years pased peacefully. Little Stephen coped well at school, and Susan was happy to go back to work part time, working in the office of the same primary school. It was her ideal job, and during the times sh … | Continue reading
As anyone who has read my blog this week will know, my musings are not going to be very cheerful this week. Julie tested positive for Covid-19, and has been very unwell. So far, I have avoided catching it from her, but I do sense it is inevitable that it will happen. ———————————— … | Continue reading
This is the twentieth part of a fiction serial, in 755 words. It dawned on me that Terry didn’t seem surprised to see us when we turned up at his end-of-terrace in West Ealing. He answered the door, didn’t invite us in, and said he would come out with us but we had to wait … Cont … | Continue reading
1930 was one of the hottest summers on record, and 1932 was almost as hot. Londoners enjoyed the warm weather in a variety of ways. These girls are at a main line station, going off on holiday. Old Caledonian Market, King’s Cross. Some of the shoppers are still wearing far too mu … | Continue reading
This is the nineteenth part of a fiction serial, in 786 words. We sold our house to the third person who looked at it. No haggling, no hassle, full asking price. We had only viewed one house, and Susan had fallen in love with it. A nineteen- thirties semi on the good side of Hono … | Continue reading
After escaping more than two years of the pandemic, Covid has finally arrived Chez Beetleypete. Following a bad headache yesterday, and a persistent cough last night, Julie did a home test this morning, and tested positive for C-19. Because she works for our local doctor, that me … | Continue reading
I post a lot of historical photos of London. The places, the people, the unusual jobs. But what of London today? I discovered a 2016 exhibition staged by Historic England in 2016. They invited Londoners to submit photos and personal details to document the diverse population and … | Continue reading
This is the eighteenth part of a fiction serial, in 783 words. So now there were three musketeers. Only two really, as Terry was a loose cannon. He didn’t even come to the funeral, though Keith did, and brought Maddy too. He hinted at a possible engagement later that year, and I … | Continue reading
Originally posted on I didn't have my glasses on....: A girl named Madeline, with a vivid imagination and remarkable awareness of how bureaucracy can dash dreams, got her wish when she asked Los Angeles animal control authorities for a license to own a unicorn — if she’s abl … | Continue reading
This is the seventeenth part of a fiction serial, in 742 words. A patrol car finally showed up after two hours. There was the classic cop combination, a weary old-timer who had seen it all, and an excited female copper who was probably brand new. The old-timer handed it over to h … | Continue reading
Five minutes after leaving the house on Ollie’s dog walk, we were surprised by a sudden, and unexpected, fall of snow. Regular readers will know that I detest snow. While it may be lovely to look at when it blankets the scenery, in such a rural location it can just serve to trap … | Continue reading
In the age of the driver-only bus, younger people might have never travelled on a bus that had a conductor. When they were taken away in London, I missed them a lot. They could direct you to the right stop for your needs, manage unruly passengers, and took great pride in running … | Continue reading
This is the sixteenth part of a fiction serial, in 777 words. As expected, the car park was empty at that time of night. Keith put Johnny over his shoulder, like a fireman’s lift, and I held the torch in the almost complete darkness. We had to be careful as we got close to the … … | Continue reading
Sod’s law, a British culture axiom, states that “if something can go wrong, it will”. The law sometimes has a corollary: that the misfortune will happen at “the worst possible time” Before the man came to fix the heating yesterday, it started working again. Despite the freezing c … | Continue reading
As I have had to go out, and I am now waiting for someone to come and fix ther heating thermoststat, there will be no episode of ‘The Four Musketeers’ today. Back to normal tomorrow, hopefully. | Continue reading
Originally posted on Pippa Rathborne: Regency Fashion Plate of woman and child in Mourning Metropolitan Museum of Art ‘What was one more opinion about the future of European politics compared to the fate of two little boys?’ The audiobook version of Barbara Metzger’s celebration … | Continue reading
When I got up this morning, I turned on the central heating. It was very cold inside and outside the house, and the radiators soon warmed us up. Around 11 am, I started to feel cold, and when I touched the radiators, each one was cool. I inspected the boiler in the garage. There … | Continue reading
The tree is decorated and shining its lights in the side window. The presents are all wrapped, and stacked around the base. Julie wrote some Christmas cards, and they are posted. With two weeks still to go, that’s pretty good, by our standards. ————————————————————————————— The w … | Continue reading
This is the fifteenth part of a fiction serial, in 805 words. Terry was the first one to panic. “We have to ring for an ambulance. There’s a phone box near the social club. I’ll get dressed and go now”. I was still holding on to Johnny, but Keith walked over and stopped Terry. “W … | Continue reading
A group of Temperance Society ladies. A ‘protest’ by blondes and brunettes. Immodest clothing means a rise in the divorce rate. More campaigning against shorter skirts. I think the sign refers to a different lady. A street protest joker. Elegant advertising. Long hair equals Comm … | Continue reading
This is the fourteenth part of a fiction serial, in 754 words. Despite saying he was not going to drink that weekend, Keith had a few whiskies at the social club. They gave him some alcoholic bravado, and also showed the rest of us that his tastes had changed since he started han … | Continue reading
Yesterday morning was icy, and still below freezing at midday. The cars were iced up, and the road was dangerously slippery. I headed out with Ollie before 1pm, heavily wrapped-up against a bitingly cold North wind. But the sun was shining brilliantly, and the sky deep blue. So d … | Continue reading
This is the thirteenth part of a fiction serial, in 733 words. Susan surprised me by having a very difficult pregnancy. Her morning sickness was terrible, and long-lasting. She also had some spotting that caused frequent scares, and trips to King’s College hospital. Her back ache … | Continue reading
Some of the once-bustling street markets familiar to Londoners over 100 years ago are now gone. These archive photos show just what they were like at the time. Hoxton Market, 1910. This East London market still trades most days of the week. East Street Market, 1910. This South Lo … | Continue reading
It’s nice to smile at a photo occasionally, and I found quite a few old images online that served the purpose. A little girl and her loyal old dog. He is obviously a cat lover! She likes her reflection so much, she is kissing it. Learning from adults how to walk along the street. … | Continue reading
These colourised and enhanced photos paint a picture of how society treated children from poor backgrounds during the Victorian Era. For petty crimes such as stealing daily necessities such as food and clothing, they have faced hard labour and jail. And these haunting photographs … | Continue reading
This is the thirteenth part of a fiction serial, in 750 words. Susan proved to be remarkably fertile. Within four months of coming off the pill, she was expecting. My parents were beyond excited, and even her mum and dad seemed to be genuinely pleased. She was starting on names t … | Continue reading
Michele Smith is my near-neighbour, a fellow dog-walker, and treasured friend. She is an animal lover par excellence, and has always adored Ollie. Just recently, we were chatting on Beetley Meadows, and she remarked that she had never taken a photo of him. She produced her phone, … | Continue reading
We have to remember, or it will happen somewhere again. | Continue reading
August Sander (1876-1964) was the most significant of German photographers in the first half of this century. From 1910 until 1934, he vigorously pursued a visual documentation project: “Citizen of the 20th Century.” His ambitious portrait series was intended to make viewers awar … | Continue reading
This is the twelfth part of a fiction serial, in 776 words. Married life suited me well enough. Susan took to it like a fish to water, and became a real housewife. She cooked nice meals every evening, and at weekends we usually went back to see my parents, and hers. Her mum and d … | Continue reading
This is the eleventh part of a fiction serial, in 772 words. While Johnny was away in jail, I learned to drive. Susan did it at the same time, and we used the same instructor. We both passed our tests one wekk apart, and because Susan passed first, she never let me forget that. M … | Continue reading
Thanks to Gavin from New Zealand for this link. What we call The Northern Lights also appear in the southern hemisphere, and are called Aurora Australis. https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/experiences/130682549/two-stunning-images-from-kiwis-named-among-worlds-best-aurora-pics | Continue reading
These photos are from a book by Michael Hiley. They show Victorian women in their working clothes. We owe many of these fascinating photos, sketches, and detailed descriptions of Victorian working women to Arthur Munby, who interviewed many, and collected their photographs as wel … | Continue reading
This is the tenth part of a fiction serial, in 758 words. They took Johnny from his home at six in the morning. It had been a long time coming, as the police took their time building a case by watching Johnny and his dad for close to three months, accumulating evidence on them an … | Continue reading
Thanks to my friend Antony who sent me a link, I was able to watch this great film about London, from Roman times to the modern day. It is short, at only 14 minutes, and is incredibly well-made. Using contemporary photos and video, and including some wonderful high-definition aer … | Continue reading
Unfortunately, most of these pioneering ladies are uncredited. However, here is Jessie Tarbox-Beales, the first professional female press photographer. Jessie again. These other ladies are unknown to me. Some are taking the earliest version of ‘selfies’, using their own cameras. … | Continue reading
This is the ninth part of a fiction serial, in 864 words. After that night at The Anchor, life took a mundane turn for a couple of years. Keith met a girl in his first year at Oxford, so we saw nothing of him. Susan told me that he spent all of his holidays staying … Continue rea … | Continue reading
Well I have the presents I am giving Julie as the last one was delivered yesterday. Now all I have to do is get around to wrapping them, and buying her card. ————————————————————————————— Talking of Christmas Cards, this is the first time I am not posting any to family, friends, … | Continue reading
I often post photos of children who suffered because of poverty and poor living conditions. By contrast, here are photos of children playing and having fun, taken during 1890-1980, and from all around the world. 1890. This lucky boy wheels his toy train past a shop window. Americ … | Continue reading
Jonathan the Giant Tortoise is 190 years old. He lives of the island of St Helena, in the South Atlantic. He was taken there from the Seychelles as a gift to the island’s governor, in 1882. He was already 50 years old at the time, and the climate of St Helena suited him very nice … | Continue reading
A collection of four thousand lantern slides was discovered in Bishopsgate. They were once used in lectures by the London & Middlesex Archaeological Society. Here are some examples from that vast archive of 1911. The Tower of London, flooded by the River Thames. Lightermen workin … | Continue reading
This is the eighth part of a fiction serial, in 790 words. What followed was something of a quiet period, in my recollection. Helen didn’t mention her mum going on holiday, though she was much friendlier at work, and occasionally touchy-feely when nobody was looking. I presumed s … | Continue reading
***No ending spoilers*** This is a British independent film, written and directed by Thomas Clay. It is set in 17th Century England just after the civil war, and stars two of Britain’s finest actors, Maxine Peake, and Charles Dance. With my interest in the period, and having seen … | Continue reading