Adventures in Everyday Madness Continuing
I have just finished writing a wedding speech for an old friend. It is the father's speech and I have spent a number of hours doing it. It is an honour and a privilege to be asked to pen such a thing. It is also a great responsibility that can prompt procrastination. I have been... Continue Reading →
The weather is looking up and so are the heads of a number of the pious who wish to show devotion to their God. Some people will be taking a quick jaunt around the village before coming back to the parish church to thank the Lord for his resurrection. Others will be on the road... Continue Reading →
The photograph is like my memory, rather vague and unfocused. At some point my first car let me down. It may have been something and nothing but, as I was enjoying a relatively good wage, I thought I would treat myself to this little number. I called her Claudette. She was straightforward, confusing, quirky... Continue Reading →
My early schooling was spoilt by the fact that I found it almost impossible to learn to read. My friends were running through the programme as if it was a ride in the park. They were fast readers, accomplished learners who never had to endure the torture of actually learning something from scratch. Me? I... Continue Reading →
Just something I did with A Level Literature students to help them get a grasp of the narrative. The Story of Tess. This is the story of a young girl who should have been content with the lot that was given to her in life. She was born into a family that had descended from... Continue Reading →
Wednesday night is now martial arts time for my wife and youngest daughter. They, together with my daughter's friend have taken up the friendly self-defence activity of Taekwondo. And, to my wife's surprise, they are enjoying it. Last night was sparring night which meant that they would all be paired off against each other to... Continue Reading →
Prologue We always knew that school was important, the mechanical testing of our understanding, the rigid adherence to rules of behaviour. We knew that to not do well in school meant...well it meant that you didn’t do well in life. No second chances, no retakes. You have one go at getting it right, that was... Continue Reading →
Some time ago... The night had finally arrived and he welcomed it. The citadel was as near to quiet as it ever would be. There was the hum of a TT vehicle patrolling, the sinister buzzing of BOTs still tasking late into the night; they never stopped. Then there was the sound of his mother’s... Continue Reading →
I wanna be your vacuum cleanerBreathing in your dustI wanna be your Ford CortinaI will never rustIf you like your coffee hotLet me be your coffee potYou call the shotsI wanna be yours I wanna be your raincoatFor those frequent rainy daysI wanna be your dreamboatWhen you want to sail awayLet me be your teddy... Continue Reading →
