Monthly Archives: July 2021

The start of a great enterprise

In childhood days, the world was centred on our small corner of Somerset. What place could be more important than one that claimed Arthur and Alfred? What shire of England could be more sacred than the green and pleasant land … Continue reading

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Dying enigmatically

Catching up with material from earlier in the week, I discovered a BBC Culture article, Sylvia Plath: the literary icon destined to remain an enigma. Six decades after her death, there still seems a readership for such speculation, (admittedly, by reading … Continue reading

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Jacobites are needed

Do people still join postal “book clubs?” Do you remember the sort of thing? As an introductory offer, you could have four books for a nominal sum and then were obliged to buy a book a month for the next … Continue reading

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Dead famous singers

It is the tenth anniversary of the death of Amy Winehouse. On 23rd July 2011, her name was added to those of the so-called “27 Club”, famous musicians who died at the age of twenty-seven.  Among the others to die … Continue reading

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Natural survivors

A flock of gulls alighted on the school playing field. The absence of children meant there was nothing to disturb them as they basked in the warm summer sun. Some had found scraps of food. A magpie joined them. “Magpies … Continue reading

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