Category Archives: My life

Give me a notepad and a typewriter and I’ll be as happy as a sandboy

Precisely four weeks after calling Tom Roberts, a director with newspaper publishers NWN, based at Oswestry but covering border counties and North Wales, I was sitting in a room which had a cupboard, desk and chair and on the desk was a typewriter, a telephone, – I could have been back in the Holywell office, aContinue reading “Give me a notepad and a typewriter and I’ll be as happy as a sandboy”

Spring in my step as our little family goes back to my root

As I left for work the morning after Marion and I had made the decision that I would give up the cinema life and return to the one job that I had always been proud of – that of a journalist – I felt a new spring in my step. The previous day I couldContinue reading “Spring in my step as our little family goes back to my root”

Hopalong finds a pal

I am amazed that after three months my three-legged fox is proving himself to be a trier. I mean to say he has four legs but as regular readers will know one of his back legs just dangles from the knee joint. Since Christmas Hopalong has had me on edge day after day, or ratherContinue reading “Hopalong finds a pal”

Up sticks and we’re heading home to the land of the Red Dragon

We talked a lot that Sunday, the love of my life and myself. The point is that anything I said involved convincing myself that I would not just hop from job to job. I had responsibilities. I had a family. It was my darling who put her finger on it and broke the deadlock. AsContinue reading “Up sticks and we’re heading home to the land of the Red Dragon”

It takes a tough wake-up call to tell you that you’re in the wrong job

The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things; of shoes and ships; and sealing wax; of cabbages and kings. If I am the walrus (not the one the Beatles sang about) then Marion was not the carpenter, but the gardener, and a time did come when we had to talk ofContinue reading “It takes a tough wake-up call to tell you that you’re in the wrong job”

What a carry on as I start having second thoughts on my new career

It’s been a while since I recounted any of the chronological episodes of my life and I left you fairly early in my new role as manager of an Odeon cinema in London – Camden Town to be precise. It’s strange the period from me going to work for Harry Corbett and my move intoContinue reading “What a carry on as I start having second thoughts on my new career”

The posher the shop the more obnoxious the customers

I have shopped in a variety of shops, haven’t we all? In particular I have shopped in a variety of supermarkets. What I have found, in my fairly limited limited survey of shopping habits and the behaviour of customers, is that the “posher” the shop the more obnoxious some of the customers can be. IContinue reading “The posher the shop the more obnoxious the customers”

Plenty of fun on Facebook groups but some just go a step too far

Many people on Facebook began with a small group, mainly family and friends, and they would put up pictures taken on a day out, even pictures of their breakfast. Then you find a friend of a friend who puts up interesting posts and you befriend them and these new friends allow you access to theirContinue reading “Plenty of fun on Facebook groups but some just go a step too far”

How can a simple door end up ruining a potentially good day?

Ever had one of those days? I did today. My intention was to pop over to Waitrose in the morning and then at 2pm my darling wife and I were off for the treat of the day (NOT), a trip to the surgery for our belated flu jabs. After that exciting day out I intendedContinue reading “How can a simple door end up ruining a potentially good day?”