Recollecting a soldier
The stories of great grandfather Luxton have been told since I was a child. A man known for his self-discipline, his attention to dress, his precision, his high standards, he died in 1955, five years before I was born. There were so many stories of the Second World War that tales told by those who had fought in earlier conflicts … [continue reading …]
Breaking rules
“If you knew the background story, you could see what progress was possible. Do you know anyone who could access the file and, without telling you what anything says, answer a “yes” or “no” question?” “No, I don’t, and you can’t do that sort of thing, anyway.” I would have done. If I felt I was being misled, I would … [continue reading …]
The season of slow-moving agricultural vehicles
The tractor drew a huge mechanical sprayer, even with its arms folded, the sprayer filled more than half of the road. There was nothing to be done except to sit calmly in the line of cars until the vehicle turned onto a narrow side road where traffic meeting it would have no choice but to reverse. My longest delay ever … [continue reading …]
Heathercombe Brake School Photographs
There are 679 (or thereabouts) photographs here. Some of them are duplicates and some of them are in random order. Paul Pope sent me a zip file in 2014 and I have been meaning to sort and upload them ever since. To have digitized these from prints to computer files must have taken many, many hours. They are nearly all … [continue reading …]
The old scams seem to work
There can be few people with email addresses who have not received at least an occasional email that seeks details that would allow the sender to defraud them. The “Spanish Hostage” scam is the oldest approach used (thus named because when it began two centuries ago people wrote letters claiming to be held hostage in Sapin and promising abundant reward … [continue reading …]
Glastonbury Festivals of the past
It was an item on BBC Radio 6 that reminded me of a plaque on the wall of the building in Glastonbury that was once home to the town’s Assembly Rooms. The plaque records that the building was the venue of the original Glastonbury festivals, organised by Rutland Boughton from 1914 until 1926. From a modest background, Boughton was able … [continue reading …]
A Sermon for Sunday, 25th July 2021
‘’Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted’ John 6:11 “I don’t believe in an interventionist God, But I know, darling, that you do” sang the Australian singer-songwriter Nick Cave in the opening lines of his song Into my arms. … [continue reading …]
Slow learning military men
While it is the 105th anniversary of the protracted conflict that has been recorded in history as the Battle of the Somme, today marks the 160th anniversary of the first major battle of the American Civil War. The action, called the first Battle of Bull Run by the Union army and the Battle of Manassas by the Confederacy, had been … [continue reading …]
Dancing to the music
A Led Zeppelin fan, he had little time for music by other bands. Anything he disliked was dismissed as “pop music” or as “pretentious rubbish.” The latter description was chiefly reserved for a rock group called Yes, of which Rick Wakeman was a leading member, and Genesis, the band of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel. Such musicians would have been … [continue reading …]
See Emily Play
The nurse changed the date. “Today is 1st May.” “Good morning, Emily. How are you this morning?” 1st May? Oh no, it would be so boring. Standing outside for hours and then a dinner where there would be very long speeches. All those old men and all those toasts. “Daddy, do I have to go today?” “Of course, we must … [continue reading …]