This is the second part of a fiction serial, in 767 words. Adrian wasn’t home when she got back. Typical. He would probably wander in just in time to have a shower and get changed, then pretend he had been helping out all afternoon. Once everything had been laid out ready on the … | Continue reading
Another episode of ‘Believe them or not’ for you. | Continue reading
I hope you enjoy this selection. The city states and principalities of Europe, before the unification of most countries. People who are certain that ‘God exists’. USA compared to Europe. Might have been created by someone who loves Labradors. This is a map of where raw sewage has … | Continue reading
This is the first part of a fiction serial, in 751 words. Running late as usual, Sarah parked the car in one of the parent and child spots close to the front of the supermarket. Not that she had a child in the car, but that never worried her. The quick trim, wash, and blow-dry … … | Continue reading
I have just been looking at some of the April Fool posts on Twitter and they are most amusing. That reminded me of the famous BBC TV April Fool spoof that genuinely fooled hundreds of thousands of people in the UK. The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest. Pinch, punch, first of the month. An … | Continue reading
Whether you choose to believe any of these or not, you might learn something. I certainly did. 😊 | Continue reading
Late today, as we had visitors for Julie on Mother’s Day. I’m going with ‘True’ on this selection. | Continue reading
I was a big fan of Madonna from her first hit single in Britain, and own most of her early albums before 2000. One of my favourites of those is ‘Bedtime Stories’, released in 1994. For me, this was peak Madonna, with her voice at its best yet. This is my favourite track from that … | Continue reading
Wishing a very happy Mother’s Day to anyone who is a mother and celebrating the day today. I am thinking of my own late mum of course, and later on I will be taking Julie out for a meal, as she is a great mum and nana. | Continue reading
No memes or dubious facts today, just some real history. This Mannequin was designed By Angelique Marguerite Le Boursier Du Coudray during the 1700’s. It was used for teaching Midwifery. This old door is in Exeter Cathedral, UK. The door had a hole cut in it between 1598-1621 to … | Continue reading
I am not a fan of The Beatles in the same way that most people are. As people, they generally irritated me, and although some of their songs are very good, there are many songs I much prefer by other bands or singers. However. Despite a real aversion to Paul McCartney bordering o … | Continue reading
The clocks go forward one hour tonight in Britain. Here’s a reminder, and a handy guide. | Continue reading
The final photo post from our recent holiday. (All the photos can be enlarged by clicking on them. That takes you to Flickr, where they look much better) The castle at night, from our hotel room. Not the best photo, but you get the idea. Our hotel was situated right on the front, … | Continue reading
At the other end for the seafront from the castle, is the marina. Lots of expensive boats and yachts are moored or stored here, and a swish shopping mall with open air cafes has been built right next to it. Another feature is an elevated walkway offering views of the area, and wh … | Continue reading
Those old-time scribes and artists were on something, no other explanation! | Continue reading
The castle known as Guvercinada is a World Heritage Site, and the building dominates the harbour of this Turkish town. Originally fortified in the 6th century, the castle underwent many improvements to protect the town from pirates and foreign invaders, especially during the 17th … | Continue reading
I hope these raise a smile! Those were the days! | Continue reading
I woke up thinking about Mott The Hoople today. A British band with a strange name, (after a novel by William Manus) fronted by Ian Hunter, they formed in 1969 and had some success before Ian Hunter left for a solo career in 1974. David Bowie was a fan of the group, and wrote the … | Continue reading
It’s a ‘What were they thinking?’ wedding day! Boobilicious? Baby bump pride. Elaborate. Too fussy? I’m lost for words. Animal skull headdress. Ball pit for later? Excessively patriotic? Well, it is colourful. Manchester City football club superfan. A Christmas wedding? | Continue reading
Despite looking much older, this fortified building in Kusadasi market place was built in 1616 by Öküz Mehmed Pasha. Karavansarais were important for protection of trade at a time when goods were moved by sea, pack-horses, or camels. They offered a secure place to spend the night … | Continue reading
One of my favourite bands ever, The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are a British group formed in 1970 and fronted by Jeff Lynne who writes all the songs and music. Still going strong in 2024, albeit with a different lineup, they have a huge fan base for their original and very or … | Continue reading
I found some new ones! | Continue reading
I’m leaving it up to you to decide if any of these are true. | Continue reading
Some random holiday photos taken by Julie on her phone. ‘Mister 3-Rods’. We saw this local fisherman every day. He was out from first light, until it got dark. He didn’t catch any fish. Resting on a bench on the promenade. We were in a restaurant that had windowless openings onto … | Continue reading
This classic song has been covered countless times, but I always associated it with Ella Fitzgerald, as my dad had her version on record. Written by Cole Porter, ‘Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye’ first appeared in a stage musical revue in 1944. Ella’s version was recorded in 1956, and … | Continue reading
These are Julie’s photos of our Chinese meal in Turkey on my birthday. I don’t usually post food photos, but she took some good ones. It seemed strange to eat in a Chinese restaurant in Turkey, but it was one of the best restaurants there, and owned and run by very friendly Turki … | Continue reading
In the Victorian era, photographs became affordable for many people after 1839. From that date until the late 1880s, it became common practice to have photographs taken of family members after they had died. The photographers invented various props and devices to hold up the dead … | Continue reading
The weekly adult rations in Britain during WW2. | Continue reading
Having just flown to Turkey and back in an Airbus A320, a very small and cramped aircraft, (no reclining seats) with nothing included on board unless you want to pay ridiculous prices for a small can of drink and a snack, it made me think about air travel in the 21st century, and … | Continue reading
I found some more, and this time I am going out on a limb and suggesting they are all true! | Continue reading
This is all 22 parts of my recent fiction serial in one complete story, for those who prefer to read it that way. It is a long read, at 17.768 words. The queue was longer than normal that morning, and Jenny pulled her hood up against the cold wind. Her time window had been ten-th … | Continue reading
I decided to have a complete break away from world news while I was in Turkkey. I deliberately left my tablet at home, and although I took my mobile phone for emergencies, I didn’t switch it on at all. There was a large TV in the hotel room, and we didn’t turn that on once. … Con … | Continue reading
Last week was the fourth time I had been to Turkey. I had previously been to Istanbul, Antalya and Alanya, and Bodrum. Kusadasi is a busy fishing port with a safe harbour inside a large natural bay. It has a lot of history dating back to Neolithic times, and was also occupied by … | Continue reading
Back from our 7-day holiday in Turkey, and pleased to report it was excellent. I will have no chance to catch up with all the posts I missed while we were away, though I will try to answer the comments you left over the next couple of days. Back to normal soon, with some reports … | Continue reading
As you all know by now, tomorrow is the start of our holiday. I will be offline while I am away, so will start fresh with all your posts and comments once we are back in Beetley. Apologies for all the posts I will miss and not comment on I will hopefully have some reports … Conti … | Continue reading
This is the final part of a fiction serial, in 862 words. After three years in Arboria, Jenny was completely at home. Her time learning from Patricia had seen her develop into a skilled chair maker, and when the old lady had died, she took over being in charge of that section in … | Continue reading
Another song featured on this blog before, and my favourite of all of Stevie Wonder’s songs. This comes from his 1980 album, ‘Hotter than July’, and was released as a single by Tamla Motown the following year. Stevie has enjoyed an amazing career in music since his first record d … | Continue reading
These are self-explanatory, and you might find them interesting Times Square, New York City Beaumont Hamel, France. During WW1, and now. Phoenix, Arizona. Montmartre, Paris. American man with his car. Manhattan, New York City. | Continue reading
This is the twenty-first part of a fiction serial, in 797 words. While they were eating that night, Gwen was chatty. The food was really good, and Jenny had her first ever taste of wine. It was sharper than the fruit drinks she had been used to, but she immediately noticed how it … | Continue reading
No complaints about the weather this week. It has been dry, sunny, and warm, with one day reaching 19C. (66F) That is very warm for early March. It is set to drop again next week, but we will hopefully get warm weather on holiday from Wednesday. ————————————————————————————— Juli … | Continue reading
Most of these seem quite genuine, but they might not be. Nice and sunny again this morning. | Continue reading
Billy Ocean is a British-based singer originally from Trinidad, probably best know for his 1985 song ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going’, which was used in the successful film, ‘The Jewel Of The Nile’. That gave him a worldwide hit which is still played on the radio … | Continue reading
This is the twentieth part of a fiction serial, in 842 words. Once the silence was broken, Jasper turned out to be very chatty. “You probably wouldn’t know, coming from the machine world over the river, but a very long time ago, much of the land to the south and east of London wa … | Continue reading
This is the nineteenth part of a fiction serial, in 777 words By the time the door opened again, Jenny was dozing off sitting up, only kept awake by thirst and fear. The light coming in from the doorway made her shield her eyes, then she recognised James’s voice. “Here’s some wat … | Continue reading