Monthly Archives: November 2018

Trees and astilbes

It is not hard to believe the story of the man who knew only one sort of tree – it was called “tree.”  Having a list of trees that runs to oak, not-oak, silver birch and Christmas, it is not … Continue reading

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The freedom to cycle recklessly

It was not so much a bicycle, more an amalgam of bicycles, a frame from one, wheels from another, parts gathered from various places. Its improvised nature meant it was not as valued as much one that had arrived shiny … Continue reading

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When painted faces threatened subversion

A request sent to Johnny Walker asked if he would play a record by The Sweet on his Sounds of the Seventies  programme on BBC Radio 2. (In my memory the band were always called Sweet, rather than The Sweet, … Continue reading

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A school teacher who understood Socrates

Perhaps it was the economic stringencies of the times, but books did not seem to play a significant part of the learning process in primary school days. There were the Word Perfect books for spelling and the books that formed the … Continue reading

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