01/10/2009 by admin.

The period of fine, sunny and relatively mild weather which we often have from mid-September is often known as an Indian Summer but is also called St. Martin’s Summer. It can be argued that the latter comes rather later than the former since, ostensibly, it ends on November 11 the saint’s day of St. Martin of Tours. Not a guarantee that it will last until then.

 Whatever it is called  it is most welcome and, as a friend of mine said this morning, even if it comes to an end this weekend it still makes the winter (autumn, surely?) seem shorter.

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19/09/2009 by admin.

Autumn is returning quickly. Conkers are being collected though many malformed because of the moth that has been affecting the horse chectnut.The game still persists though may have somewhat moved down the age scale compared with my day .

I have been neglecting this blog partly because of lack of time … but quite a lot because of lack of response so do register here giving your name and email and I will sanction you as a user if you have something interesting to say.

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05/09/2009 by admin.

Children back at school, older ones starting university, party conferences beginning, important news ousting (most of) the silly season stories - welcome normality. Or is it? In France it’s pretty obvious when August ends and September begins - here it is a more gradual process, partly because of the phenomenon known as “St. Luke’s Summer” when the mid-September weather turns hot and sunny and encourages people to take a last few days’ holiday. Let’s hope it does this year, particularly next weekend in my case.

But ominous grumbles get louder. Are we about to enter the second part of a W-shaped recession. What about the justness of the “war” in Afghanistan, do we still know the full truth about the Ali-al-Megrahi case? These linger over into the autumn plus the prospect of a 6-month election campaign. We’ll need a final burst of good weather to keep us going through this autumn.

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20/08/2009 by admin.

Today my grandson and also my great nephew are expecting A level results. I wish them both well and will look forward to hearing from them.. Doesn’t it take you back to your own waiting day - in my case, and showing my generation, “Higher School Certificate”? With heart in mouth I opened my results and confirmed my expectations (or hopes) in three papers but was slightly disappointed in two others. I wanted to read English Literature at first and since the high marks were there I got immediate admission to Manchester under the then famous H.B. Charlton. But I didn’t go there. An ambitious headmaster wanted me to stay on and take the Cambridge Open Scholarship exams. In December of the same year I was awarded an Open Scholarship, not by my chosen college but by a neighbouring one, and diverted my interests to another subject . Was I sorry I didn’t read English at Manchester? Well maybe I was - after all I could have ended up as a best-selling author or, maybe, even better, as a highly-paid advertising copywriter. Regrets I (might) have had a few.

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16/08/2009 by admin.

Well the answer is yes it is nearly. On that fateful day in September 1939 I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing as do most people of my age or older. I was 9 and we had just graduated from an old battery radio which used heavy and dangerous “accumulators” to Radio Rentals - a kind of low voltage cable radio - and my mam, dad and sister who was eight years my senior huddled around it to hear Mr Chamberlain pronounce his famous words. As a 9 year old I was already an eager newspaper reader so I had a pretty good idea of what it was all about but not exactly why it had happened. I say “huddled” but I have an idea that it was a reasonably pleasant day and I don’t remember a coal fire (our only means of heating). I remember my dad speculating on whether he would be called up but doubting it - correctly as it turned out - since he was just about to celebrate his 50th birthday and had served in the First World War (which seemed a long time ago in 1939 but had finished only 12  years before I was born). What I don’t remember is whether or not I was pleased with this observation or whether I might have been quite glad if he had been young enough to go. Later on he seemed a bit sad himself that he was too old though he made a rather bad air raid warden especially as we had no air raids nearer than about 12 miles. Still he had never been unemployed since i was born and enjoyed “doing his bit” in his spare time though it kept him from the pub a bit.

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17/07/2009 by admin.

This might well be the time to have my own recess from writing this particular blog. My own blog holiday. I leave you with a picture of the alley (ginnel, snicket or any other dialect word you may care to mention) that I walk along each morning on my progress to the park, the shops or occasionally further afield. It is called Madan’s Walk and is named from an 18th century reverend gentleman who lived in the house you now see peeping from behind the trees and in part of which a friend of mine used to live and still, so far as I know, owns. Although the house is still standing it is a state of disrepair and, being listed, will take considerable sums of money to restore although it has the original windows and door furniture and would make a wonderful house for someone with enough money to bring it back to its 18th century glory.Madan’s Walk

I will be walking different walks for a few weeks though not, this year, abroad. So farewell until…I come back.

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12/07/2009 by admin.

I have attended a string of these in recent days but our own Network Party this year took some beating. Everything about it was better, including the food and wine but, dare I say, the congeniality of the assembled company. If John O’B’s photos of me on the website indicate my personal degree of enjoyment and (in) sobriety then I’m glad. A good time, I’m sure, was had by all - not just me. 

The other parties have been with relations and friends, also hugely enjoyable, but this is not the place to write about them

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03/07/2009 by admin.

… though this isn’t the reason why I haven’t posted anything for a day or two. I have been caught up in a stream of summer social events - even before our own Party. It’s been quite a strain wondering at which it might be possible to turn up in shorts (which my son-in-law rather uncharitably says make me look like the singer in “It Ain’t Half Hot Mum” because of my relatively small, and squat stature). Usually light trousers have been the safe option but with sandals, since wearing socks in this weather is unbearable and I can’t wear shoes without socks.

Of course perhaps one shouldn’t care about “proper dress” in this exceptionable weather, but I do!  I did see someone the other day, walking around the town in a jacket and tie when I know he is well-retired and wasn’t about to go to any formal event! He didn’t even look hot though I’ll bet he felt it. No ties for me until the winter sets in. the consolation is that except in London “gentlemen’s clubs” an open-necked shirt with a suit seems quite acceptable business wear nowadays, thank God!

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25/06/2009 by admin.

I have a reasonably unusual surname. In my home town everyone else with that surname was related to me, however distantly. Just recently the social networking site Facebook has revealed several people (around 60- 70 in total) who have the same surname.  These are resident in the UK, the USA and Holland. A few are also distantly related but, for the most part, not. The same surname in Holland may have a different origin. We even have a special Facebook Group. Much simpler to be Smith or Jones.

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23/06/2009 by admin.

Our local park has a duck house on the duck pond about which I have already written. At the same time the local Preservation Society also donated a fountain which worked, but with an ever declining gush. for a few weeks then fizzled out to nothing. Today it is working again but passers-by must be taking bets about how long it will last at full power. In this torrid weather it has a nice cooling effect so we hope for along time.

Another nice feature is that someone has restored the clock on the nearby stable block which has a most charming soft chime. The effect is quite rural since it sounds rather like an old village church clock. Some people complain about it disturbing their sleep but they must be very light sleepers.

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