The road from Little Dribbling
Bill Bryson’s books were a source of many hours of happiness. His constant good humour and eclectic choice of subjects made his writing compelling reading. There were moments when his description of the absurd and sometimes surreal moments of his life prompted laughter aloud. More than once the sudden chortles have prompted others to look at me quizzically. The Road … [continue reading …]
Kneecapped
On Saturday, I went to see the film Kneecap. I’m not sure why. There had been publicity about it winning awards, about it possibly receiving a nomination for an Academy Award. It seemed the sort of thing about which people might talk. Perhaps students at school would mention it. It was advertised as a biopic on the Belfast hip-hop group of … [continue reading …]
Why do people need to tell each other what to do?
Between Halloween and Christmas, urging the deputy principal to be more bossy became a regular pastime. It was an inclination borne from a belief that in a very successful school, those appointed to leadership positions should lead and that staff should act according to the direction of those deemed competent by the Board and should not be subject to the … [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 …]
Holding back the waters
BBC Somerset carried pictures of flash flooding in the county. Turning to the Flood Information Service, the area threatened seemed extensive. From Yeovil, which lies on the border with Dorset, to Steart, where the River Parrett reaches the Bristol Channel. Flooding is possible – be prepared Flood alert for Rivers Yeo and Parrett, downstream of Yeovil to Steart Updated 12:12am … [continue reading …]
A Sermon for Sunday, 11th May 2025
“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 Four verbs used by Jesus in the Gospel reading can help thinking about the sheep and the shepherd. “Belong” from Saint John Chapter 10 Verse 26; “hear” and “follow” from Verse 27; and “never perish” from Verse 28. Belong, hear, follow, never perish: four steps in … [continue reading …]
Dickens the tactician
Spending more time than desirable behind the wheel of a car, audio books have become important. Last year an Audible subscription brought the option to choose the books to which I wished to listen, along with some bonus choices. The £7.99 a month cost seemed good value compared with the cost of most other entertainments. On Boxing Day, I paid … [continue reading …]
Young people have become boring
Walking through the supermarket the sound of Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody filled the aisles. I read once that Noddy Holder and Dave Hill, the writers of the song, earn about £500,000 in royalties on the song each year. It is 51 years since it was released, it has been an excellent pension fund! Slade are memorable for their outrageous glam … [continue reading …]