A handful of albums have been regular companions through the last 30 years and more. A year might go by without playing one or two of them but never longer than that. Two of these albums have been on my mind, and on my car stereo, and on various other media, in recent weeks: David… Continue reading Cigar-chewing Charlies and Femme Fatales
Yesterday I noted how a replacement vehicle that was supplied by our garage earlier this month came with barely enough fuel for our needs. It got me thinking about the other two occasions when I have nearly run out of petrol. The last time was when we bought our current car, in 2008. It has… Continue reading More about running out of petrol
Have you ever run out of petrol? (Or, as our American friends would put it, have you ever run out of gas?) I haven’t, and have only come close to it three times, including once earlier this month, when we had a replacement car for a few days. Our car was having some work done… Continue reading Running out of petrol
[There are over 1600 words in this article.] In many small ways I am all about efficiency and productivity. On journeys that I make regularly on the London Underground I always know the best place to stand (or sit, if it’s not rush-hour) to ensure that you are ideally positioned for the exit or any… Continue reading Small gains for many or big gains for a few
Yesterday, at around 5pm, I had a pint of beer in the only pub in my part of London that I had never drunk in before. In my piece about our Boxing Day Pub Crawl I mentioned that there are only two pubs in my postcode that I had never been to. As of yesterday… Continue reading Every pub in my postcode
Stationery and stationary: which is which? One of them is a noun, used to describe things like envelopes and writing pads, the other is an adjective meaning “not moving”. Many adults have problems with these words so it’s understandable that children do as well. Even if you know the difference, how do you remember, and… Continue reading Stationery and stationary
Last year I wrote about homophones, words which sound the same but are spelt differently, like rowed, road and rode. A heteronym, on the other hand, is a word that has multiple meanings and pronunciations but is always spelt the same. “Bow” and “wound” are examples. The meaning and the pronunciation only become clear from… Continue reading Word of the week: heteronym
In the 1980s there were six different pubs called The Blue Posts in Central London, all within a mile of Piccadilly Circus. I discovered the first, in Rupert Street, one Saturday afternoon. I had arranged to meet an old school-friend to see a movie at one of the big theatres on Leicester Square around 3pm… Continue reading The Blue Posts
In the early months of last year I wrote about Earworms regularly, often enough to create a Category for them. In the second of half of last year they rarely occupied my mind but I have had one going through my head for a week or two now: David Bowie’s “Lady Stardust”, from the album… Continue reading A New Year Earworm (“Lady Stardust”)
£50 notes are back. For as long as I can remember they have been unwelcome in shops and restaurants. They were prone to forgery and, frankly, how many cash purchases justify breaking into a fifty? I still apologize for using a £20 note if what I’m paying for costs less than a fiver. (This reminds… Continue reading £50 notes at the cashpoint
