The Sincerest For Of Poetry
Apprenticed To My Mother
Walking Into Trouble
Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle
The Last Will Of Sven Andersen
Booms And Busts
Buster & Moo
Salisbury Square
My Father and Other Liars
Life In A Conversation
Life, in a Grain of Sand
Life In A Flash
Category Archives: history
Crusts Off!
We’ve all probably eaten a sandwich. Two bits of bread and a filling. I lived on them, to the detriment of my waistline during several phases of my legal career. The fillings morphed from the functional – cheese, ham, tuna … Continue reading
Cemeteries Wot I’ve Nown… #Westnorwood
Circling London are seven cemeteries that were created in the early to mid 19th Century to deal with the overcrowding in London’s churchyards and the equally limited space to bury dissenters. The seven – more recently dubbed the Magnificent Seven … Continue reading
Posted in art, history, miscellany, west norwood
Tagged cemeteries, history, magnificent seven, west norwood
14 Comments
Being Generous: Thoughts On All’s Quiet On The Western Front
Two things had me thinking today. The one year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine and watching the much lauded film, All’s Quiet On The Western Front. I read the book at school and it was too heavy going then. … Continue reading
Posted in history, miscellany, thought piece, WW1
Tagged history, thought piece, WW1, WW2
42 Comments
The World Reimagined
This tour covers about three to four miles around the city of London. For convenience, I started at Mansion House tube – it was a Sunday, a day when public transport tends to be the subject of various last minute … Continue reading
Why History Is Based On A Horse’s Ass…
I love this sort of stuff. You may have seen it already, but it tickled me. ‘The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? … Continue reading
History Repeats
‘She’s there, just by the shore.’ Sarah glanced nervously at Martine, hoping for some response. Any response. ‘How far?’ Sarah sighed. Martine was like the others. ‘About 200 yards, at two o’clock. She’s staring out to sea.’ Of course she … Continue reading
Week Five: 2022
I’ve been running around rabbit holes this week. I blame David. He may be a friend but he got me thinking about the story of how my grandparents – mum’s mum and dad – came to marry. I will write … Continue reading
Posted in families, history, miscellany
Tagged 2022, family, focaccia, food, history, Percy Francis
17 Comments
What Did The Victorians Ever Do For Us #crystalpalace
As with Monty Python and the People’s Front of Judeah listing what the Romans missed, so we can often forget the genius of some Victorians. One such near me was the creation of the Crystal Palace which was reconstructed on … Continue reading
A Short History Of Climate Change Conferences #history
‘Where’s dad?’ ‘Watching the clouds.’ ‘It’s verging on paranoia, you know.’ ‘I know that but try telling him. The Big Guy says this, the Big Guy says that. You know what he’s like when he’s had one of those apocalyptical … Continue reading
Unintended Consequences: The Pub And The Pandemic
I was enjoying a socially distanced walk with a friend today and we began to reminisce about cosy pubs and welcoming restaurants. At the moment, the weather is bitter – the Beast From The Baltic is battering us on the … Continue reading
Posted in history, thought piece
Tagged Beer Orders, courage, grand metroplitan, pandemic, pubs
24 Comments
TanGental 