Halfway down the stairsIs a stairWhere I sit.There isn’t anyOther stairQuite likeIt.I’m not at the bottom,I’m not at the top;So this is the stairWhereI alwaysStop.Halfway up the stairsIsn’t upAnd isn’t down.It isn’t in the nursery,It isn’t in the town.And all sorts of funny thoughtsRun round my head:”It isn’t reallyAnywhere!It’s somewhere elseInstead.”AA Milne
Category Archives: My blog
Binge on the oldies if you want to escape modern TV dross
The television these days is full of quiz shows, reality shows, entrepreneurs trying to get cash from business tycoons, and gladiatorial battles – with plenty of padding. Dramas, of which there are precious few, have a new series each year lasting about six to eight episodes, and then it’ll be at least 12 months beforeContinue reading “Binge on the oldies if you want to escape modern TV dross”
Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention
We all have regrets, some have more than others, but all in all there are not many regrets in my life. There are times when something doesn’t go the way you hoped for, but looking back you realise it was not a problem because it put your feet on a different, better path. Even atContinue reading “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention”
Last minute hitch on house deal led to a far better home
Many of you will remember 1977 as a busy year, it was Queen Elizabeth’s silver jubilee as monarch; the Yorkshire Ripper was still on the prowl; National Front marchers clashed with anti-Nazi protesters in London. Meanwhile Marion and I had moved our little family to North Wales, Anglesey in fact, and as I was settlingContinue reading “Last minute hitch on house deal led to a far better home”
This trickle, once a torrent, will be in full spate again soon
First of all please accept my apologies that instead of the torrent of new posts for this New Year, 2025, it has slowed to a small stream, if that. The past few months have not been as smooth as I had hoped but I am not here to wallow in my sorrow. There have beenContinue reading “This trickle, once a torrent, will be in full spate again soon”
Never mind Inspector Gadget we’ve all got gadgets at home
Have you ever opened a kitchen drawer, or cupboard, and wondered what some of the items in there actually do? We know about the ice-cream scoop and, possibly, the melon baller, you might even recognise an old-fashioned potato peeler. What about that odd thing with cog wheels and what looks like the winding key forContinue reading “Never mind Inspector Gadget we’ve all got gadgets at home”
From innocence to sexual predators in one fell swoop
It is amazingly simple to make a giant leap from a fairly mundane chat about songs from the 60s and 70s to suddenly find yourself in a discussion about paedophiles. I’m not suggesting this was a chat over a pint in a pub. I’m not even sure that people discuss pop songs and paedophilia inContinue reading “From innocence to sexual predators in one fell swoop”
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson Published by Penguin Classics We all know the horror story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, well a lot of us know the story of the kind and gentle doctor and the evil counterpart. You can see it now, a man takes a drink of a potion which bubbles and glowsContinue reading “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”
What goes around comes around – especially spectacles
There are certain things in our lives that are important, yet we only think about them if someone else comments on them. A classic example is glasses, or spectacles if you prefer. When you first get them you notice how they press on the bridge of your nose, or how they lie along your ears.Continue reading “What goes around comes around – especially spectacles”
Ding dong the Bells had the literary world in a muddle
In 1847 three books were published by authors with the surname Bell. There was Currer Bell, Acton Bell and Ellis Bell. Literary stalwarts, reviewers and those in the publishing world immediately smelled a rat, but they were on the wrong track. They suspected the books were all written by one person – a man. WhatContinue reading “Ding dong the Bells had the literary world in a muddle”
Robin's Nest 