Monthly Archives: February 2021

Cold days

There being few students in school and there being a requirement for doors and windows to be opened, the business manager seems to have curtailed the hours during which the school heating is allowed to be turned on. By eleven … Continue reading

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In the midst of life

Clive James’ The Fire of Joy was his last work, completed in 2019 against a background theme of his terminal illness. The book’s subtitle is, “Roughly eighty poems to get by heart and say aloud.” Never having the capacity to recall poetry … Continue reading

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Rolling westward

A GWR train from Paddington rolled across the bridge, it appeared entirely empty. In these strange times, trains seem to run without passengers. The train was a far remove from the British Rail Western Region locomotive that would haul a … Continue reading

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Churning

Milk churns seem now to be collectors’ pieces, purchased at premises specialising in reclamation and vintage items. Unused churns that once might have lain rusting in the corner of a yard are now put to new uses. On my grandfather’s … Continue reading

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Moved by television

Every Saturday, the Daily Mail must be bought for my mother. The newspaper itself is incidental to the weekly television guide included in the magazine. The programmes for the week are planned carefully, mostly the BBC 1, 2 and 4, … Continue reading

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