A Sunday drive in late summer from North Wales to Dorset, in a 1950s green Morris Minor, is one of the most relaxing journeys I can think of. Well I found it relaxing on that sunny day in 1974. It was just as well that I have always found driving myself from A to BContinue reading “Lazy Sunday afternoon as I head off South to begin a brand new life”
Category Archives: theatre
Farewell to a comfortable office life and it’s hey ho for the open road
Having made my decision to move on it was not just a simple case of finish work as a journalist at 5pm on a Friday and start working as a roadie for a puppet show at 9am on the following Monday morning. Giving up the flat would be a bit of wrench. It was theContinue reading “Farewell to a comfortable office life and it’s hey ho for the open road”
Who needs to run away to the circus I found my place in a puppet show
My father was a good man. He didn’t lay down the law when I was growing up, instead he led by example. He was gentle and considerate, I never heard him swear and he only shouted at me once – I deserved it. There is one piece of advice he gave me in my teensContinue reading “Who needs to run away to the circus I found my place in a puppet show”
Fun and frolics at the theatre when uppity stars get their comeuppance
Meanwhile back in Basildon . . . After the few days of excitement at the National Union of Journalists’ ADM in Wexford things seemed very quiet back at work. My personal life was still going well at this stage. Quite a lot of it centred on the Basildon Arts Centre, some of it as anContinue reading “Fun and frolics at the theatre when uppity stars get their comeuppance”
Union bonds do not last forever, but I still had all the world as my stage
I must admit, the end of the Basildon lockout was a bit of an anti-climax. I had discovered more about the camaraderie of socialism and the true meaning of the brotherhood of the union (be fair, there were not many women in the trade union at that time) in those couple of weeks with theContinue reading “Union bonds do not last forever, but I still had all the world as my stage”
Market meeting was a real bonus
Meeting my Muse at the market in March 1973 was a bonus as I thought it would be two weeks after the party before I saw her again. That half an hour with her made all the difference. If you are thinking of a long-term relationship then you should base it on each of youContinue reading “Market meeting was a real bonus”
North South East West – which direction will be the best?
When you reach a point on your travels through life where the track diverges and none of the paths is a direct route to your objective you have to decide which way to go. The moment I discovered my Muse was mother to a six-month-old baby, with the strong possibility that Daddy was still around,Continue reading “North South East West – which direction will be the best?”
Love is . . .
or is it? Maybe we should first ask: What is love? Dolly Parton claims: Love is like a butterfly, as soft and gentle as a sigh. Roy Orbison says: Love hurts, Love scars, Love wounds and mars any heart. It takes a lifetime to learn the truth and in the end it appears they wereContinue reading “Love is . . .”
A momentary muse upon a Muse meant soon I would meet my Muse
Once ensconced in my new abode high above Basildon town centre (was this a metaphor for the way I viewed the town, looking down on it and its inhabitants?) my next move was to make friends. In my past where had I found friends? At school – but those days were long gone. At theContinue reading “A momentary muse upon a Muse meant soon I would meet my Muse”
Tears of sorrow for a Welshman in exile
My time as a journalist in Basildon was not all politics and crime, although I did spend a lot of time in the council chamber and the magistrates’ courts. The Arts Centre, just off the town square, was a cultural centre for the district and, as well as hosting concerts and professional entertainment, it providedContinue reading “Tears of sorrow for a Welshman in exile”
Robin's Nest 