This is the thirty-first part of a fiction serial, in 835 words. As Belle was being handcuffed by a surly policeman, she could hear the weeping and crying of Rachel and Hannah downstairs. Knowing better than to resist or argue with the Gestapo man, she accepted her fate as she wa … | Continue reading
The fun continues. Twitter required a login. Then it told me that account was already taken. Taken by me of course! But it refused to recognise me and demanded I create a new account. Can I be bothered? You can guess the answer. So no more Twitter shares, sorry. Farewell, Mr Musk … | Continue reading
I had just posted about a glitch update, and then what happened? No Access to my blog at all. So I went through the Google Chrome helpline and was advised to clear all browsing history and cache. I did that, and now I have to log in to every site I regularly use. Naturally, WordP … | Continue reading
The recent glitches I posted about have not calmed down. I can no longer view any of my own posts from the email notifications at all. I am able to look at most of the posts I follow, but replying to comments on those has also proved to be almost impossible. Even The Reader has … … | Continue reading
No old paintings or jokes today. Some of these are humorous, others slightly edgy. | Continue reading
I was in a really bad mood yesterday, so let’s lighten things up with some old paintings memes! | Continue reading
This is the thirtieth part of a fiction serial, in 832 words. The twenties were the good years for Belle and Francoise. There was some turbulence around the world, including a stock market crash in America. But it didn’t affect their cosy lives in Paris, as her investments were s … | Continue reading
Remember Julie’s lost purse that was found and handed in to the police? After a few phone calls yesterday, it seemed that Suffolk Police had not sent it over to Norfolk Police, as promised. Then Julie got a call this morning to say it had arrived. So this afternoon, we drove down … | Continue reading
For no apparent reason, I came over very sleepy at 9:30 pm last night. By 10:30 I could hardly keep my eyes open, so gave in and went to bed. I was worried that I would be awake at dawn. However, I didn’t wake up until 10:15 am! Almost twelve hours of solid sleep, and … Continue … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-ninth part of a fiction serial, in 769 words. Although she could never be certain how old she was, Belle decided to celebrate her fitieth birthday in nineteen-twenty. It was close enough, and seemed to her to be something of a landmark. Plans were made with Fra … | Continue reading
I didn’t really want you to miss out on the memes today, so here’s a mixed selection. | Continue reading
For a change from chuckles, it is back to the classroom for more maps. The world in 1595. Gun ownership. The most peaceful countries. Rivers that flow into the Mississippi. Most common surnames by country. Countries that Great Britain has fully or partially invaded in history. (I … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-eighth part of a fiction serial, in 870 words. News of the war became more depressing as it dragged on relentlessly. Names of places appeared in the newspapers daily, places that Belle had never seen nor heard of before. Verdun, Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, Ypres … | Continue reading
Today is a public holiday in England, so that means we won’t be going out anywhere. This last public holiday of the school break, and the last one before Christmas, will ensure packed resorts and attractions, bad traffic, and impossible parking. Here is something to smile about i … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-seventh part of a fiction serial, in 764 words. The end of the second year of war left everyone feeling depressed and full of foreboding. Trench warfare had become established, and the residents of Ameins and the surrounding villages had become so used to the s … | Continue reading
Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
It has felt like a long week. My neighbour helped me tidy up our hedges and shrubs during the week, and five hours of bending and collecting cuttings left me as good as crippled for the two days that followed, and unable to go out on my daily walk. My thigh muscles have only just … | Continue reading
Stevie Turner is kindly offering one of her books for free this weekend. Please follow the link for more details. | Continue reading
This is the twenty-sixth part of a fiction serial, in 759 words. The first days of the war seemed more like a festival than a terrible disaster. Young men in the area flocked to join the army, including the two sons of Belle’s gardener, and the local postman. Bands marched up and … | Continue reading
Although the song The House Of The Rising Sun is a traditional Folk/Blues song thought to date back to 1905, it first came to my attention in 1964, when I was 12 years old. The British group The Animals released their version of the song, (with additional lyrics by organist Alan … | Continue reading
One of my stepsons is staying with us for a few days. This afternoon, I had to go and pick him up from Attleborough, as Julie was working until 5:30. Since we got back, we have been chatting, so I did not finish off today’s episode of ‘The Chair’. Back to normal service tomorrow, … | Continue reading
Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
From the time I heard her first album in 1983, I was a firm fan of the soulful American singer/songwriter, Anita Baker. Her distinctive tone carried me away, and the combination of songs on her albums always seemed just right to my ears. In 1986, she released the album ‘Rapture’, … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-fifth part of a fiction serial, in 788 words. The year ninteen-hundred signalled a new century, but passed almost unnoticed in Belle’s house. Some things had changed over the past fourteen years of course. Marcel had died three years earlier, and been succeeded … | Continue reading
A mixed bag of memes today. I’m like this in the supermarket!! | Continue reading
On Tuesday, my next-door neighbour came for a chat. He had noticed that our front hedges had not been cut and said he would be happy to cut them for me. The same man had already helped me out with many things, most recently assembling the new garden patio furniture. I told him my … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-fourh part of a fiction serial, in 821 words. Adrienne had recommended a hotel in Amiens. It was modest but comfortable, and the owner knew of some properties for sale not too far outside the town. Belle thought the old town was lovely, especially the main squa … | Continue reading
Yes, more old paintings memes. Even an Edward Hopper this time! | Continue reading
This is not the first time this song has been featured on my blog, and I have a feeling it won’t be the last. As it is getting close to September (the acorns are falling from our two Oak trees) I thought it was also seasonally appropriate. Earth Wind & Fire are one of my … Contin … | Continue reading
I’m the first to admit that I am a cynical person. Too many years of living in the unforgiving city of London, and working in the emergency services there had jaundiced my view of people as a whole. Every now and then though, something comes along that makes me rethink my misanth … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-third part of a fiction serial, in 770 words. After almost a week at the hotel, Layton had not changed his habit of gambling at cards for most of the day, and well into the night. At first, Belle had diverted herself by walking on the promenade with Lily, and t … | Continue reading
I was very happy to find another batch of these. | Continue reading
This is the twenty-second part of a fiction serial, in 798 words. The next few weeks were busy for Belle. The offer to be accepted, lots of papers to sign, and having to open a bank account and receive letters of credit. She began to appreciate Mayhew, who was punctillious in his … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-first part of a fiction serial, in 798 words. As the youngest son of six children, Layton Quincey was somewhat spoilt by his wealthy parents in the grand house in Buckinghamshire. He grew up to be an obnoxious child, and detested by his siblings. By the time hi … | Continue reading
So I had my few days offline. No searches, no blogging, no anything to do with the Internet. I get home on Friday afternoon, and eventually get around to firing up the PC and logging on. No issues with emails, Google, nothing at all, in fact. Until I try to log on to my blog. … C … | Continue reading
It has felt strange this week. With Julie being off work, and us taking a trip south midweek, it has been like a long weekend. Then when the weekend came, that felt wrong. ————————————————————————————— We had a big break from routine by going to Kent and East Sussex to visit old … | Continue reading
The weather is very nice again today, so here are some book covers to add some smiles. | Continue reading
This is the twentieth part of a fiction serial, in 795 words. Layton was impressed by the young wife as he watched her giving evidence. Despite her many years of captivity she had strong character, and held herself well in the witness box. It seemed that Trenchard had also made s … | Continue reading
One of the benefits of going somewhere during the week is the absence of other visitors. The downside is that there is a lot of working-week commercial traffic, and during the holiday season there are lots of caravans and campervans on the road too. Our first destination was to G … | Continue reading
We are not long back from our short break away to Kent and Sussex. I have dozens of post notifications and emails, and no chance of reading all the posts. So I am starting fresh from tomorrow, with apologies for all the posts I have missed and not commented on. Meanwhile, I will … | Continue reading
Those readers old enough may recall when very long films shown at the cinema would have an ‘Intermission’. There would be a break before the film came back on, just long enough to use the toilets, stretch your legs, buy ice creams and drinks, then get settled back in your seats b … | Continue reading
This is the nineteenth part of a fiction serial, in 780 words. It was the happiest day of Athur’s life. Once they were home, he rushed into the kitchen to get the bottle of vintage champagne he had saved for the occasion. It wasn’t properly chilled, but he didn’t care about that. … | Continue reading
Yesterday was the hottest day of 2024 so far here, reaching 34C (93F) in Beetley. Despite being able to get three loads of washing dry out in the garden in record time, it was rather too hot for Englsh people. But it made me think of a song, so here it is. I have no … Continue re … | Continue reading
This is the eighteenth part of a fiction serial, in 890 words. As he sat watching her eat, Arthur spoke -not for the first time- about the impending marriage. Belle had always wondered if he was joking, this much older man with large side-whiskers and a heavy build. What little s … | Continue reading
In 1979, I heard a song on the car radio that I liked immediately. I took a mental note of the name of the singer, and went into a record shop later that day, buying the album it came from. I also bought his previous album, having decided I liked his voice and quite individual … … | Continue reading