Category Archives: My blog

Advice to the Grub Street Verse-writers

by Jonathan Swift Ye poets ragged and forlorn, Down from your garret haste; Ye rhymers, dead as soon as born, Not yet consign’d to paste; I know a trick to make you thrive; O, ’tis a quaint device; Your still-born poems shall revive, And scorn to wrap up spice. Get all your verses printed fair,Continue reading “Advice to the Grub Street Verse-writers”

The girls I have loved and lost

The Sixties is a country far, far away. It is a land where once we lived and loved, danced and sang, dined and drank. I certainly remember a lot of dancing and drinking, girls and music. Different music for different girls. Hazel was the Troggs – Hi hi hi Hazel, although any Troggs number willContinue reading “The girls I have loved and lost”

If music be the food of love . . .

How often do you hear people say: “You either loved the Beatles or you loved the Rolling Stones. It had to be one or the other, you couldn’t like both.”? I’ve heard it over and over again for over 50 years and these days I hear it from people who weren’t born at the timeContinue reading “If music be the food of love . . .”

All at sea and having fun

Despite college and work and the theatre I did manage to get some social activities in. The Rhyl Yacht Club was a regular watering hole for Roger and myself. We had others of course, including the Clwyd opposite the club where we were both members of the darts team for a few years. But FridayContinue reading “All at sea and having fun”

Newspaper bosses kept it in the family

After my first trip to the print works Peter began to take me there on a regular basis and I got to know not just the printers and journalists but also the directors. What had begun in the 19th century, as a publishing company, Woodall, Minshall and Thomas, at Caxton Press in Oswestry, and laterContinue reading “Newspaper bosses kept it in the family”

Stereotype – it’s such a cliché

Printing presses were not foremost in my mind when I decided on my future as a reporter. I knew about the principles of printing having once had a John Bull printing outfit. Not, of course, that this childish toy was ever designed to introduce people to the real joys of printing. To learn more thanContinue reading “Stereotype – it’s such a cliché”

Timely lesson about trust

My mix of shadowing David Nicholas and spending time under my own command at the Holywell office certainly strengthened my nature when it came to coping for myself in later years. David taught me what to watch for when out and about as a good story could come from the smallest reference. He said youContinue reading “Timely lesson about trust”

Touch of deja vu as memories meld

Have you ever found yourself watching an old film on the television and thinking: “I’ve seen this before but I don’t know when.” Or: “I am sure this film is taken from a book but I don’t remember reading it.” Over the past 20 years more and more films have been resurrected to fill spaceContinue reading “Touch of deja vu as memories meld”

Castaways a century apart

The subjects of two tales of boys surviving on a desert island are almost 100 years apart. One tells the story of three boys shipwrecked and cast up on a desert island in the Victorian era. This was written in 1857 by a Scottish author, RM Ballantyne, who wrote almost 100 adventure stories for boys.Continue reading “Castaways a century apart”