You couldn’t make it up…..Oh, wait. What is a strimmer? Not recommended for a do-it-yourself Brazilian. What is a Mexican wave? How your driver identifies himself after you clear customs at Cancun airport. What is hogwash? Mud. What is poppycock? Pretty much anything in the Top Twenty these days. What is a doodlebug? An uncontrollable…
From 2016, a paean to the humble (and not so humble) sandwich… Six sandwiches that shook my world As a general rule, the one-word Daily Prompts that WordPress has been furnishing in recent months are way too cryptic for someone as devoid of imagination as yours truly. Today, though the word is ‘Sandwich’ and even…
Along with the literally hundreds of artistes I have never heard of, there are certainly some heavy hitters among those born in the month of September. There’s Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen and Bryan Ferry for starters, as well as two members of the Grateful Dead – one still with us (Micky Hart) and one long…
Wotcher! Rhyming slang this week… Battlecruiser A pub drinking game. Bread and cheese Ploughman’s lunch to munch. Cows and kisses Still legal in West Virginia. Dicky dirt Lack of basic hygiene. Lady Godiva Posh chocolates. Mork and Mindy Shazbat. Daisy roots Jamaican female reggae artiste. Dustbin lid Lift to get rid. Peckham Rye Pass this…
From 2014, the fightback against technology (a losing battle, alas…). Don’t ask, don’t tell Being a proud possessor of the Y chromosome, I can only assume that this latest of ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ is one for the laydeeez: “Is it easy for you to ask for help when you need it, or do you…
At the end of last year, I posted a Beach Boys song performed by Brian Wilson. This was prompted by my having watched a rerun of his performance at Glastonbury in 2005 – seventy five minutes of sheer joy, as I noted at the time. Fast forward to this summer and, with daughter and grandsons…
‘Mensonges’, as the French say. What is a puggle? An ugly dog with no magical powers. What is an hibiscus? An Egyptian sacred bird in unfamiliar surroundings. What is a concertina? An accordion with ideas above its station. What is a dipstick? POTUS. What would you use a feeler gauge for? Various nefarious purposes. What…
From as recently as 2023, and seeming appropriate, given that – due to a combination of holidays, other stuff and the ever-present idleness – I haven’t posted on here for about three weeks, this is an important lesson on the rules of French social interaction. Of course you hadn’t noticed. Hello. Again. Most people with…
Just a quickie this week, from 2017. And yes, it is that boy again. Beyond his years “I’m not weird, I’m wise” – Grandson, age 10 (Jury’s still out on that one.) Update: actually it’s not. Said grandson has just completed his first year at one of the UK’s most prestigious universities. His twin brother…
I had no problem whatsoever in choosing an artiste born in August for this week’s Song Lyric Sunday. Jerome John Garcia was born on August 1st 1942 and died on August 9th 1995. Deadheads still celebrate his life in ‘The Days Between’ – the period between the first and ninth of this month. The actual…
the only deadhead in the hameau 