From 2013, a report on my first year of retirement… Another year older… My Countdown To An Event app – which is now functioning as a Countup – tells me that, as of 2 p.m. European Summer Time on September 27th, I have been retired for exactly one year. Not that I’d forgotten. It’s interesting…
From ten years ago, a stark warning of the dangers of leaving home for any length of time… The Unkindest Cut You may not even have noticed – and I wouldn’t pretend or presume that, in the great scheme of things, it makes any difference whether you have or not – but of late there’s not been…
Uh Oh…..oh oh oh Oxymoron Military intelligence Ooky The general mien of the Addams family. Oodleplex The state of being confused by many things at once. Obfuscate To (not) answer a simple question in the manner of a politician. Obstreporous Wot you looking at? Oddsock A truly irritating wardrobe affectation. Orzo Sorry, but I was…
Panto auditions: NB – responses are very UK-centric, but then so’s Panto (oh no it isn’t!). Widow Twanky Brendan O’Carroll Buttons Austin Reed Cinders Leslie Ash The Beast Mark Labbett Gru Donald Pleasence Cruella de Vil Suella Braverman The Fairy Godmother Julian Clary Abanazar The Great Soprendo Carabosse Lily Savage King Rat Nigel Farage Fibbing…
From 2013, a meditation on my love/hate relationship with technology… Kit Despite my well-documented inability to get to grips with technology (defined as basically anything invented since the Stone Age), I still have the inherent Y-chromosome marker for ‘kit’. Sadly, though, this thing I have going on with technology is a classic love/hate relationship. I…
General ignorance… Which is the highest ever grossing show on Broadway? Probably the one with ‘Climb Every Mountain’ in it. How many times has Rafa Nadal won the French Open? Is this something to do with tennis? I don’t do tennis. Who played the Young Victoria? Prince Albert. Who sang the 1957 original of ‘That’ll…
Another slice of bah humbug from 2014… Well, here we are at the end of August and self-doubt may be starting to creep into WordPress’ ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’: “Are writing prompts a useful exercise, or do you find them to be too limiting and/or hokey?” Yes, I do find writing prompts useful as a supplement to…
I don’t belieeeve it! Why did the chicken cross the road? To see if the egg was already there. Why are eggs oval in shape? Better to ask why ovals are egg-shaped. Who said Humpty Dumpty was an egg? That’s fake news, so probably Truth Social. What is fumigate? A political scandal involving a smoking…
From this week in 2013, a piece about the gift of giving – or, more accurately, the giving of gifts. As time goes by We were mulling over recently what present to buy for our daughter’s eighth wedding anniversary. Seeking inspiration, not to mention enlightenment and authoritative knowledge, naturally we looked online. At anniversariesbyyear.com (yes…
I don’t believe a word of it….and nor should you. What is a saga? Too long: bored now. What is a synopsis? Too short: already bored… What is a dialect Yew wha? What is a goblin? I thought this was a family show. What is a pinstripe? Outdated uniform of 80s investment bankers (guilty as…
the only deadhead in the hameau 