I received a phone call last night from an old friend who I haven’t spoken to for some time. The last time I chatted to him life was not so great, a combination of family bereavements and squabbles had been spiced up by a heady cocktail of job dissatisfaction and general stress in his life. To hear that changes in employment had coincided with an upturn in finances and personal affairs was a heart warming conversation and living proof that if ...
Before I start today's blog, here is a quick mention for Mrs Ward from Tadley, Hampshire. Mrs Ward (age witheld out of politeness) made a mild complaint to her daughter Alison in Australia that the new black background and white lettering on this blog had caused her to abandon her readership. As someone who prides himself on customer service, you will see Mrs Ward, that I have reverted to the original template. I sincerely hope ...
It is unusual for me to do blogs in successive days, but my fascination with the Battle of Cable Street has got me writing again as today is the 75th anniversary of that pivotal day in East London, 1936. I have learnt about Cable Street by luck really, through a band I was introduced to named The Men They Couldn’t Hang who sang a song called the Ghosts of Cable Street. I was a keen follower of modern history at school and I was definitely ...
Harry and I made the trip back down to Cornwall to retrieve my luggage at the weekend on what, most of you will be aware was the hottest October weekend on record. It was a weekend where Cornwall flipped back to mid July...well, actually I am wrong there, because if it had flipped back to mid July, it would have been like mid October, that’s how arse about face the great British weather has been this year. I have been sunburnt twice in 2011, ...
As I look out on to my garden, the thermometer is nudging 27 centigrade in Hatch Warren which is quite extraordinary for the end of September. More remarkable still, is the distinct possibility that the hottest weather of 2011 may well end up being in April and September/October. The azure blue skies resemble the height of June or July and it is likely that the fine weather will last well in to the weekend. However I am off ...