i had a little model blue bird but – possibly typically – it was a model of the car his dad drove not the boat that killed him: and (though we didn’t have a TV till the year after) i remember very clearly the news of his death on co[…]

hurrah for senility!!
one of the nice thingz abt sharing lifespace w.other people is being able to spring treats and little surprises on one another now and then – and ordinarily this is quite hard if you live on yr own, but today i came home […]

POP FACTOR: 620 CONTROVERSY SCORE: 248
What you hear in Baby Cakes depends on what story you’ve been following. The story of garage? Then it’s an afterthought, a sidestep, barely even vital enough to qualify as a move backwards. The sto[…]

I was born on the road — or something close to it. As muttered elsewhere, my dad was a Navy man, and when your family has something to do with the military, one thing that’s guaranteed is that you’ll be on the move fairly often. S[…]

FT Top 100 Films
38: LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP
Martin Skidmore Says:
This film is among my all-time favourites, and I love it unreservedly, but it seems not to get too much attention these days. I think we undervalue Powell and Pressburger &#82[…]

the victorians were very extremely weird part 3567256
i sort of maintain an interest for professional reasons, and also bcz they helped create a pathway into the golden age of fantastical children’s lit and illustration, but is there a SINGLE […]

i. rise at 2.45am to get to Stansted. when i mentioned this to mum she recalled the long days when everyone’s car had a little campaign sticker – NO TO STANSTED! – bcz a third airport wasn’t necessary and it would death to som[…]

The Minuses of Travel
How do you get under the skin of a city? Some would suggest spending time with locals, or perhaps drinking your way around the bars. Me? I go to football matches.
In Buenos Aires there are two decent choices; River Plate, based […]

Shortlist 2004
Thomas Cook expressed concern at Tom’s reluctance to embrace travel writing and quickly drew up a shortlist for 2004.
I’m halfway through The Factory of Light (Michael Jacobs), but the others are unknown to me.[…]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
NIGHT TIME MILK – the results!
i. It is tasty stuff, good quality organic milk, a nice creamy burr to it but never claggy, exactly what you think a glass of milk should be like.
ii. Immediately after drinking it I went to bed and […]