This is the first part of a fiction serial, in 812 words. Walking on the beach had been intended to clear his head. It was always the same with Ruth, she went out of her way to punish him for the break-up. Her favoured tactic was to wait until he was on his way to … Continue read … | Continue reading
The heatwave ended (for now) on Friday evening. We woke up on Saturday to cloudy skies, and a top temperature of 17C/62F. After a month of extreme temperatures for England, it was a welcome relief. Then when we went out at lunchtime, it was raining. The first rain we had seen her … | Continue reading
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I am bracing myself for this one, as the band featured is incredibly popular around the world. (Though I will never understand why) Millions of people love this song, and the band. For me, it is 4 minutes and 30 seconds of dirge. And I don’t even think Chris Martin is a very good … | Continue reading
Let’s keep thinking about our disappearing bees! | Continue reading
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Number One in the UK and 20 European countries. Also Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and most of the countries in Central and South America. The US showed some good taste, as it didn’t get into the Top 50 there. A silly title, a group with a silly name, and it even had its own si … | Continue reading
Scottish band Hue and Cry burst onto the UK music scene with this song in 1987, reaching number two in the Top 40. I really liked it, and bought the single. They have been recording and performing ever since, but never managed to maintain the short-lived popularity they enjoyed i … | Continue reading
Gavin from New Zealand sent me this. A good example of a student thinking outside of the box. Students were asked to write an essay on “THIEVES”. This is what one student wrote: Thieves are an important part of a nation’s economy. They play a significant role in providing employm … | Continue reading
Yesterday we were out fairly early, to catch the bus from Dereham into the city of Norwich. We were going to meet one of my oldest friends, someone I have known since we both started at senior school at the age of 11. We have kept in touch ever since, 63 years of friendship! Chri … | Continue reading
I’m off out for lunch again today. Back later, or perhaps Thursday. | Continue reading
We travelled to the Suffolk border today in fine weather, a 70-minute drive to Ingham, just north of Bury St Edmunds. We had a lunch date with my old friend Roland, and his wife, Christine. They chose The Cadogan, a gastro-pub on the main road from Thetford. Almost an hour from t … | Continue reading
I’m not even sure that anyone in France reads my blog. But you never know… | Continue reading
A change from songs I don’t like to one that I do. Written by Smokey Robinson and Al Cleveland in 1967, it was a hit for Smokey and the Miracles on Tamla Motown that same year. Did I buy it? Yes of course I did. In 1969, Diana Ross and The Supremes teamed up with … Continue readi … | Continue reading
Of course I have posted a lot about the hot weather recently, and three days of normal temperatures are a most welcome relief. So I will say no more. —————————————————————————————– Julie had a dental appointment in Norwich last Tuesday afternoon, so we combined that with an early … | Continue reading
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Much cooler yesterday, so I headed off to Hoe Common to take some photos. I have posted similar ones on here previously, but this is a different camera, and more recent followers may not have seen the other ones. (Clicking on the photos will take you to Flickr, where they can be … | Continue reading
Yesterday. 31C/88F. Hot and sunny. Very humid inside the house. Horrible. Today. 21C/70F. Cloudy. Breeze from the north. Fresher and cooler inside. Much better. Yes, we talk a lot about the weather in this country. I’m not apologising for that. | Continue reading
Hoping for a better sleep over the weekend. 6 for me. | Continue reading
In 1911, someone wrote a song about a traditional dance in Cornwall. I had never heard it, and could happily have lived my life without ever even knowing about it. Later versions also flew under my radar, and I was living a life in London still blissfully unaware of this song. Th … | Continue reading
This is all 27 parts of my recent fiction serial in one complete story It is a long read, at 21,455 words. They could expect massive changes after the election. The win had been so much bigger than anyone had predicted, and Josh watched as the results tumbled in, the colours chan … | Continue reading
I know quite a few people who liked this one. Perhaps they still do. Not me though, I never liked it. Dr Hook and The Medicine Show was an American band from New Jersey. They had a string of hits in the 1970s, including this breakout song from 1972. I was 20 years old at … Contin … | Continue reading
I am very pleased to feature Luanne’s guest post today, promoting her book. A big thank you to Pete for letting me take over his blog today. I’d like to share with you an ancillary story to my memoir Scrap: Salvaging a Family, a Finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. … | Continue reading
This is a short story that I saw linked to on another blog, and I went over to read it. The early history of mankind imagined. Spiritual, convincing, and very well written. It is a very rewarding read. https://www.deviantart.com/heavymidst/art/The-Memory-Box-of-Kizha-1353783754 | Continue reading
The heat continues, and the tiredness is getting to me. Hardly slept on Tuesday night, and it was already 26C/79F at 9am this morning. | Continue reading
Going back a long way with this one to when I was only 14 years old. So I’m guessing that many of you have never heard it and won’t remember it. Despite being one of the worst songs ever recorded, this got to number one in the US singles charts, number two in Canada, and … Contin … | Continue reading
My mum would have been 102 years old today. This photo was taken in 1939, when she was 15 years old Born in 1924, she left school at the age of 14 to work full time, and the following year WW2 broke out. She spent her teenage years being bombed in London by the Germans, … Continu … | Continue reading
This 1974 song (I use the word ‘song’ loosely) was a huge worldwide hit, and reached number one in the US and UK charts. In quiet moments, I sometimes sit and try to imagine the people who went out and bought it. What were they thinking? | Continue reading
Tiptoe Through The Tulips. In 1968, the American entertainer Tiny Tim released his version of this 1929 song. Was it supposed to be a joke? He seemed to take himself seriously enough. And it got to number 17 on the US Billboard 100 chart. I’m pleased to say that it failed to make … | Continue reading
Discovered in Tivoli, Italy, this mosaic was part of the floor decoration of Emperor Hadrian’s huge villa. Dating from the 2nd centry AD, it portrays a rabbit driving a chariot being pulled by geese. It would have been considered to be a humorous decoration, intended to amuse gue … | Continue reading
You may recall that on the 20th of June, we attended a wedding. During the celebrations, boxes of ‘accessories’ were handed around, so that guests could dress up a little, and join in the fun. Last night, Julie was going through her phone and found this photo of me ‘joining in’. … | Continue reading
Being number one in the charts in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and ten European countries doesn’t necessarily mean it is a good song. This awful pop trash from 1997 featuring the one-hit wonder group, Aqua, is a prime example. They were from Denmark and Norway, making them the … | Continue reading
Well my usual weather report begins with being happy that it has cooled down a lot. Although it is predicted to get back up to 28C/82F next week, that is still a relief from the excesses of the last week in June. And I was able to sleep so much better as a result. ——————————————— … | Continue reading
One for the dog-lovers. | Continue reading
There are times when the addition of a big star name on a record can make a song that should have been buried in a hole and forgotten into a hit record overnight. This is one of those times. In 1984, there was a children’s animated film about Rupert the Bear called ‘Rupert and Th … | Continue reading
This is the final part of a fiction serial, in 918 words. For six long months, Annabelle and Josh held their breath waiting for the public outrage. The possible dissent, perhaps even public demonstrations and violent disorder. In major cities, soldiers from the army were brought … | Continue reading
*Another change from memes for today. I recently bought a second-hand camera. It’s quite an old-model bridge camera with a 25-600mm (equivalent) zoom lens, a Panasonic FZ330. As I already have (at least ) five digital cameras, I didn’t need it. But there you go. The very hot weat … | Continue reading
The Birdie Song. This awful instrumental ‘thing’ has a long history. Known variously as ‘The Duck Dance’, or ‘The Chicken Dance’, it originated in Switzerland in the 1950s, and went on to become popular in German beer-drinking halls. Fortunately, I had never heard of it. Then in … | Continue reading
I would like to wish all my American friends a very happy 4th of July. Enjoy your celebrations, whatever they may be. | Continue reading
*A change from memes today, some history that I lived in. Visiting from Australia, Simon took photographs of many ordinary and everyday things in London. I was 29 years old then, and already working as an EMT. Most of these were taken in and around areas where I worked, and where … | Continue reading