Category Archives: Blog

My interest in history, in what has gone before us, increases by the year, and Aston Hall has 400 years of history, of Civil War, of Kings, Queens and of intrigue. I was delighted to be part of the Write … Continue reading →

Last week I had the privilege of learning about the tokoloshe from former Zimbabwe resident Afric McGlinchey. This has prompted some further research, with some interesting, and surprising results. By far the most intriguing was a Yahoo Answers page in … Continue reading →

On Saturday 22nd October the “Write Down Speak Up Love Where You Live” project visited Blakesley Hall, near Yardley in South Birmingham. Maggie Doyle, Kurly, Matt Windle, Laura Yates,Spoz, Dreadlock Alien and I visited, wrote some lines, and tried to … Continue reading →

In June I had the pleasure of meeting Amy Rainbow for the first time. She is one of those people whom it is impossible not to like, bohemian, street-wise and sharp. It was at Parole Parlate in Worcester, and she … Continue reading →

I reproduce the following quiz from a bought copy of The Times. There are twenty five sentences, grouped into five categories. The question is the same each time : “Is this sentence grammatically correct?” The answers are at the end. … Continue reading →

For the first time this year I have become aware of a process by which Collins retires words from their dictionaries following a factual appraisal of their disuse. I love words and language and fully accept that, over time, words … Continue reading →

Time can be both a kind, and a cruel, master. As a child, I remember hearing Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” and enjoying it as a pop nursery rhyme, particularly enjoying the “feed your head” line. Over forty years later, I … Continue reading →

I recently commented on the premature death of Amy Winehouse, and felt that the demise of Clarence Clemons, who had a somewhat more extended life, was worth a mention. In my formative teenage years I sampled many musical genres, and … Continue reading →

The self-destructive lifestyles beloved of some musicians is not normally a matter which I spend much time worrying about. Yet the tragic, and oh-so-predictable, death of Amy Winehouse did give me pause for thought. As a teenager and young man … Continue reading →