Category Archives: The stuff of daily life

The martenitsa is on the table beside me. Tomorrow it will be tied around my wrist and will not be removed until I see a stork, a swallow or a blossoming tree, lest its removal cause another calamity. On 1st … Continue reading →

“People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion,” wrote Albert Einstein. His reflection upon the nature of spacetime might have been a reflection upon the nature … Continue reading →

“For a few years, we lived in the cottage across the road from the farm. There was an old lady called Mrs Hartland who lived next door to us.” “Your great grandfather was very worried. The bullocks all seemed sick … Continue reading →

The news reports that Noddy Holder has had his vaccination. It is extraordinary to think that he is seventy-seven years old. He will forever be the rambunctious lead singer of Slade whose records captured the rebellious mood of 1970s teenagers. … Continue reading →

At one time, there seemed few people in the village to whom we were not related. Members of the Crossman family seemed not to have moved far from the parishes that surrounded the town of Langport. If I wanted to … Continue reading →