Category Archives: This sceptred isle

So near, and yet so far away

In 1981, the 1960s seemed a different world. Going to the Monsters of Rock Festival in Castle Donington in August of that year, AC/DC, the band at the top of the bill, seemed as far removed from the bands that … Continue reading

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ABE

There were celebrations in bars around Dublin this evening as Harry Kane’s penalty kick flew high over the French goal. The cheers at the final whistle were loud. This evening’s World Cup quarter=final result recalled and apocryphal story I heard … Continue reading

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A beautiful solution to crime

There was an instinctive sense of beauty in childhood years. The countryside in mid-Somerset is not classic picture postcard stuff, but there are sights and landscapes that have a special quality.  Every village and every town has at least a … Continue reading

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The collapse of the Church of England

There was a time when High Ham had its own rector. Then it was absorbed into Langport and High Ham had a vicar under the rector in Langport. Then there was no longer a vicar in High Ham. And now … Continue reading

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Unintended consequences of good intentions

A good-intentioned number of newcomers to the village decided ‘affordable housing’ was necessary. They seemed not well-versed in market economics which awards an immediate premium to those who acquire assets at below market prices. Having contemplated ‘affordable housing,’ they then … Continue reading

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