A bit about Gongs

I had a busy week in the run up to Christmas; so many unexpected problems; no answers; I was nearing the end of my rope! But all’s well that ends well, and following my wife’s excellent Chrimbo lunch, I settled back with a glass of the last dregs of the vino rouge and fell upon…

Retroculture

I spent the first waking minutes in bed wondering whether any of the founding members of a particular 70s rock band were still moving and breathing. There’s always a website dedicated to anything imaginable and, sure enough, I found one. Working through the obituaries, I’m uncomfortable noticing how close I am in age to most…

An Unexpected Spotify Ad Break

As I schedule most of these posts days in advance, it’s possible by the time this is published that my Free Spotify account will once again play adverts intermittently. However, during the last half of February, I’ve been enjoying ad free playlists of an evening, whilst leisurely browsing the rest of the web. After three…

A bit about Trombones

I thought about reposting this when Sidney Poitier died. I wrote it some time ago but remembered it when his death was announced. He was a superb actor on film as he had presence; but it was an intelligent presence not simply star value. Anyhow, the piece was originally inspired by the not so well…

Connections: Gardens

It could be because of global warming that this English Winter has been wetter but milder than usual; the effect it’s having on flora and fauna is noticeable: confusion!, and an early onset of Spring! Our garden is already showing warning signs of imminent fecundity. Here follows something I wrote for a different blog several…