Month: December 2017

My goodness, what weather for a Christmas Day. No afternoon walks with the children and with the dogs. Who would want to with the wind at 30 miles an hour and rain to boot. It has been snowing today in Oxfordshire and some of the motorways and A  roads are closed. Somerset seems to escape the worst of the weather. The last time we had snow around this time was five years ago. Pathetic. Would you...

I remember reading some years ago that the Christian festival of Christmas could not be advertised in any manner shape or form outside Christian churches in New York. If they did so, they would risk the possibility of legal action. Honaker the Jewish holiday which celebrates the victory in a bloody battle can be advertised by candles in peoples' windows but for some reason another historical...

Have you ever wondered what 1 million books look like when gathered into one place. The main town for bibliophiles in the UK is Hay on Wye. The Bookbarn on the A37 (BS39 6EX) is the largest second-hand book collection in Somerset. Here, in a coffee bar cum restaurant, you will find bookish people failing to resist the temptation of buying yet another pile of books and at one or two pounds each...

I cannot seem to break the habit of buying too much food for festivities. I comfort myself by the fact that most of it will be eaten if not on the day intended them shortly after. I reckon that about £125 has been spent buying fairly ordinary items. I suppose with two guests for the best part of a week that's not too bad. I had an interesting meeting with a tenant on my allotment who's tenancy I...

The 17th century diarist Samuel Pepys was responsible for - or I should say gave me the impetus - to start this diary in his style. However, in the diary Tuesday 20th of December 1664 we read that he went to his friend Bagwell at his house, accepted their food and after the meal sent the husband on a false errand while he proceeded to have sex with the wife against her will. He then goes to his...

Now what could be more exciting than that? Can I make a remotely interesting literary piece out of the most banal of activities, shopping in a supermarket. We shall see. Supermarket automatic doors open for me; therefore, I am. Craig Bruce Or how's this for size? "what we have learned is that if you can make the right decision in the supermarket aisle, it's a heck of a lot easier than making a...