Monthly Archives: March 2021

A strange boy

Posted on 21st March 2021 by Ian

His name came up in a telephone call with an old school friend. Trying to recall those from Somerset who had attended the small school in Devon to which we had been sent, I remembered the boy had come from … Continue reading →

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That’s not my name

Posted on 20th March 2021 by Ian

I knew an undertaker in Northern Ireland who knew his market well.  To his Protestant clients, he was Rourke, to Catholics he was O’Rourke.  If one looked in the telephone directory, he appeared under both names. A friend passing through a … Continue reading →

Posted in The stuff of daily life | Leave a comment

Imagining travel

Posted on 19th March 2021 by Ian

The spring equinox brings thoughts of the summer, but the prospect of a holiday this year seems to be rapidly receding. Even if the government allows the holiday season to proceed, the restrictions on foreign travel mean that prices of … Continue reading →

Posted in Unreliable memories | Leave a comment

What is it about steam trains?

Posted on 18th March 2021 by Ian

On this day in 1960, the naming ceremony took place for the very last steam locomotive built by British Rail. The 999th locomotive of the British Railways Standard range, the Evening Star was the only locomotive built with the object of … Continue reading →

Posted in This sceptred isle | 2 Comments

Cancelling summer

Posted on 17th March 2021 by Ian

Pitney lies three miles distant from High Ham. A tiny village tucked into the fold of the undulating Somerset countryside, it has suffered the fate of many similar villages. Its school is long closed. The church of the parish of … Continue reading →

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