Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
Not too much to report this week, as I already covered events from Thursday to Saturday in this post. (Link below) I am also posting these musings late, with half the day already gone. Back from Suffolk, Essex, and London ————————————————————————————— On Wednesday evening we ate … | Continue reading
This is a short story in 420 words. My thanks to Sue Judd for allowing me to use her photo for inspiration. https://suejudd.com/ “So how did it go, Becs?” “We went to that coffee place in Shoreditch. You know, the one where we first met. I wasn’t about to let Scott come to the fl … | Continue reading
Well it was quite a hectic couple of days. On Thursday, I went to see one of my oldest friends, Roland -and his wife Christine- at their house in Suffolk. It had been arranged for Roland and I to travel by train to London on Friday, to meet up with two other friends for lunch … C … | Continue reading
My good friend Antony has been on a trip to Wales, and posted some great photos on his blog. The photographers among you might appreciate them. | Continue reading
I will be away from the blog for a couple of days, starting on Thursday the 13th. When I am back some time over the weekend, I will reply to any comments received. Best wishes to everyone, Pete. | Continue reading
My long-time blogging friend Jude runs a series of posts on one of her blogs about benches she has encountered on her travels. Bench Challenge Anniversary I have often thought about joining in with the challenge, but don’t really have any good bench photos to use. I recently foun … | Continue reading
My thanks to chuq at https://lobotero.com/ for finding more signs for today’s post. | Continue reading
Another Motown song from one of my favourite female vocalists, Brenda Holloway. This powerful ballad was released in 1964, and I played it over and over that year, and long after. Cover versions folowed immediately. Recorded by Aretha Franklin, The Spencer Davis Group, The Small … | Continue reading
This is the final part of a fiction serial, in 828 words. Over the next two days, the man named Paul showed them around. The first stop was to be issued with new clothes; overalls, shoes, underwear, and a padded jacket for winter. He explained the rules. “You don’t put these on u … | Continue reading
I was 14 in 1966, and I heard a wonderful Soul ballad on the radio. I bought the record a few days later. It was by Lorraine Ellison, and was the biggest hit of her career. She never matched the success of this one, and left the music business later to look after her elderly … Co … | Continue reading
We had Remembrance Sunday on the 9th, but today is officially Armistice Day. Here are some poems I found online. For the Fallen By Laurence Binyon With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children, England mourns for her dead across the sea. Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit … | Continue reading
Some time ago, the person with this name began to engage with comments I made on other posts, and left comments on some of my blog posts. I had to eventually Spam him, so none of his comments appear on any of my posts. For a long time he disappeared, but I see he has … Continue r … | Continue reading
Assorted stuff to start the week. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_children_of_Woolpit This was taken by a trail camera. It is believed to be a photo of the ghost of a small girl. | Continue reading
This is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and originally recorded by Roger Miller, in 1969. Others followed, including Gordon Lightfoot, Kenny Rogers, Charely Pride, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Then Kris released his own version in 1970. I discounted it at the time as too ‘Country’, … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-third part of a fiction serial, in 752 words. Jane stopped to drink from a glass on the table by her chair. Then she seemed to sense that Andy had questions, and began answering them as she continued. “This facility has been here a long time, long before the de … | Continue reading
It has been one of those ‘not much to report’ weeks. The weather has been unusually mild, with the warmest 5th of November on record. It rained a bit, and was chilly sometimes in the morning. Dark at 4:30pm every day too, but that’s November for you. ————————————————————————————— … | Continue reading
In 1991 I heard a song on the radio by the Young Disciples. This was funky stuff, and got me moving around in the car. Carleen Anderson’s vocal was really good, and the samples were well-chosen. It was considered to be ‘Acid-Jazz’, and that was fine with me. Although I was 39 yea … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-second part of a fiction serial, in 855 words. It was apparent that the nurse had already been called, as a woman wearing a plastic apron over her clothes and latex gloves appeared quickly. She went straight to Mark, introducing herself. “Hi there, I’m Amy, wit … | Continue reading
On a recent book review, I mentioned that free books are available to Amazon Prime Members. These are know as ‘Library Books’ and are borrowed from Amazon, not owned. Some of you were unaware of this benefit of Prime Membership, so here is how it works. *There is a 10-book limit … | Continue reading
Don’t Dream It’s Over In 1986, I bought a new album by a band I had only heard on the radio. It was the debut album by Crowded House, a band formed of members from Australia and New Zealand. It had some great songs on it, including this one. I went on to buy all … Continue readin … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-first part of a fiction serial, in 814 words. Andy had been told about mines when he was very young. He knew they could be lethal, and could still work decades after being laid. But he had never seen one, so had no idea what to look for. He decided to stick … C … | Continue reading
My thanks to the American blogger Phil Huston for suggesting this one. Part of the Mersey Sound sensation of the 1960s, Gerry (Marsden) and The Pacemakers had many hits. He is also credited with writing most of those, one of which was ‘Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying’, first r … | Continue reading
The first one isn’t true. 😊 | Continue reading
This is the twentieth part of a fiction serial, in 778 words. Andy gave Hannah the task of making Mark eat some of the cold venison and drink lots of water as he busied himself with rearranging the cart early that morning. He also gave her four of the remaining painkiller tablets … | Continue reading
When I was young, my dad had a record by Chuck Berry called ‘Memphis Tennessee’. It was on Chess records, and the record company my dad worked for released that label in the UK. I liked it a lot, and when I was 11, it got into the charts in Britain in 1963, peaking at … Continue … | Continue reading
A mix of both for you today. | Continue reading
This is the nineteenth part of a fiction serial, in 790 words. Mark was lying on his left side, holding his right leg. His face was white from shock, and his trousers were covered in blood. Andy dropped the rifle and ran over to him, and could see two holes in the upper part of … … | Continue reading
In my last Sunday Musings, I mentioned that Julie and I were going out on the 4th, to celebrate 25 years since we first met. I had booked a restaurant that we hade been to before, for lunch with friends during the summer. It was The Swan, in Ringland. https://www.swanatringland.c … | Continue reading
In 1964, I was only 12 when I bought the new Four Tops single, ‘Baby I Need Your Loving’. A Motown record written by the dream team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, this ballad was their first big hit, making it into the charts in the US but not in the UK. In Britain it was released on … | Continue reading
Each Wednesday, I still can’t believe it is Wednesday already! | Continue reading
This is the eighteenth part of a fiction serial, in 780 words. Seeing no movement around the static homes, Andy whispered to Mark. “We might have to wait until tomorrow morning if nothing happens before dark. It’s going to be an uncomfortable night I’m afraid, but I am not going … | Continue reading
Could It Be Magic. In the early 1970s, my first wife was a fan of Barry Manilow, who was producing hits that were selling well around the world. I didn’t care too much for him, but quite liked the song ‘Could It Be Magic’. Three years later, I heard a disco-style cover version by … | Continue reading
This is the seventeenth part of a fiction serial, in 803 words. Getting a late start as they left the Village Hall, Andy and Mark had slept in, and were annoyed at themselves for doing so. With no time to have any food before setting out to make the most of the daylight hours, An … | Continue reading
This is a 2023 independent film in the Horror genre. It is ‘R’ rated in America. **No Spoilers** I didn’t find it remotely scary, BUT I really liked it! Set in the 1970s in America, it follows the mixed fortunes of Jack Delroy, a chat show host on late night television. He is pop … | Continue reading
You have to know both films for this one to work. | Continue reading
This is the sixteenth part of a fiction serial, in 805 words. Before he settled down for the night in his shelter, the man gagged Hannah with a foul-tasting rag, and then tied her to the tree securely using more of the same stretchy nylon material that bound her hands and feet. U … | Continue reading
Bonnie Tyler (stage name) is a Welsh singer who was well-known for her husky and croaky voice. Now aged 74, she had some big hits in the UK (and the USA) during the 1970s and 1980s. Some of those were rather cheesy power ballads, and others just commercial pop. I never bought any … | Continue reading
Another month begins, and will no doubt fly by as fast as the previous one, feeling more like a week than a month. —————————————————————————————- We had all kinds of weather, from blinding sunshine to darkness at 3:45 pm. Heavy rain, and gale-force winds. Now it will really start … | Continue reading
My thanks to chuq at https://lobotero.com/ for sending me the link to these signs. | Continue reading
This is the fifteenth part of a fiction serial, in 832 words. Seeing signs for Cirencester, Andy decided to avoid the town. Crossing the main road, he stopped the cart so they could both have a drink and he had a chance to look at his map. “We are between Cheltenham to the west a … | Continue reading
A mix of old paintings-style memes on a bright and sunny Saturday morning. | Continue reading
Continuing this series with a woman who tends to divide opinion. As much as I like some of her records, I never liked any of them enough to buy one. And she showed bad judgement, in my opinon, when she married the awful Russell Brand in 2010. At least she divorced him not long af … | Continue reading
This is the fourteenth part of a fiction serial, in 798 words. Waking up alone felt strange to Hannah, after so many nights next to Andy. She went out into the living area, but nobody was around. She sat and drank some water for a while, but when neither of them appeared she went … | Continue reading
I don’t celebrate Halloween. That’s it. That’s the post 🎃 | Continue reading
In 1963, I got a record by Betty Everett. I was only 11 years old, and didn’t know at the time it was a cover version. It did well in the US charts, and was a minor hit in the UK, only noticed by Soul Music fans. The following year the British group The Swinging … Continue readin … | Continue reading
Starting the weekend for the cat lovers. | Continue reading
This is the thirteenth part of a fiction serial, in 771 words. For two days as they continued in a vaguely northerly direction, Hannah could not believe how much Mark had to say. Even walking on ahead, she could hear his constant chatter. Andy didn’t seem to mind, asking question … | Continue reading