Monthly Archives: August 2021

Going back to the city

Sitting at a cafe in Dublin at 5.30 pm yesterday, the phone rang. I stepped away from the tables and stood in an entrance just off Ann Street. The head teacher of a Dublin school offered me a post in … Continue reading

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The interesting dead

Perhaps it is because the names are familiar. Perhaps it is because I can recall the faces and the voices of many of those whose mortal remains lie beneath the gravestones. Perhaps it is because I know more people who … Continue reading

Posted in The stuff of daily life | 4 Comments

A blithering idiot goes forth

“Dad, please try not to look like a lost tourist.” My son admonished me on the telephone. He had tried to explain to me how to buy a Leap card to use on the trains, trams and buses. With travel … Continue reading

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Wand’rin’

Outside the Classic Cinema in Yeovil, the colours of the poster remain unfaded in my memory.  Paint Your Wagon was a musical with Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood. It was 1970 and not only was the film on release but … Continue reading

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Genealogical nonsense

Enthusiasts for the writing of C.J. Sansom will be familiar with the tales of  Matthew Shardlake, a barrister in Tudor times pursuing cases against the background of violent conspiracies, royal intrigues and religious extremism. The tales bring encounters between Shardlake … Continue reading

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