Author Archives: Ian

A lonely old man

Posted on 23rd March 2025 by Ian

Two significant things have been learned in the past week. One was that the Church of Ireland Pension Fund has recovered to the point where it would be possible to retire before the normal retirement age of 68 and take … Continue reading →

Posted in The stuff of daily life | Leave a comment

Fifty years ago today

Posted on 15th March 2025 by Ian

It was fifty years ago today that we raised the money for a new football strip. A sponsored walk – they were a new thing in 1975 – or maybe we were just behind the times. Fifty or sixty of … Continue reading →

Posted in Unreliable memories | 1 Comment

Guilt

Posted on 10th March 2025 by Ian

It’s five years since we bade farewell to my old dad. To be honest, neither he nor we expected him to reach the age of eighty-three.  A self-proclaimed grumpy old bugger, he was old Labour, anti-Royalist and fiercely patriotic. There … Continue reading →

Posted in The stuff of daily life | 2 Comments

A secure life

Posted on 22nd January 2025 by Ian

Audio books have become a therapy whilst sitting in the constant traffic jams that are part of everyday life.  The congestion causes a nine mile journey to take 45 minutes.  (Yes, public transport is available, if the connections were right, … Continue reading →

Posted in Unreliable memories | 2 Comments

Three tomatoes

Posted on 13th January 2025 by Ian

It must be five, six, possibly more years since Bob Mortimer taught me a lesson which has more than once been important in the business of getting through the days. In an episode of Gone Fishing, Bob Mortimer reflected on … Continue reading →

Posted in The stuff of daily life | 1 Comment