Prince Andrew has been in the news here in the UK. The Duke of York, to use one of his titles, was, until 1982, second in line to the throne. He has now slipped to eighth in line, so unless there’s some 21st century plot to move him up the list, along the lines of… Continue reading Word of the week: car-crash
Here are the questions and answers for the current series of ITV quiz show “Tenable”, episodes broadcast between Monday 18 and Friday 22 November 2019, Series 4 Episodes 26-30 (S4Ep26, S4Ep27 and so on). The format here is the same as in earlier pieces such as this one from last weekthis one from last week:… Continue reading “Tenable” questions, week ending 22 November 2019 (Series 4, Episodes 26-30)
Earlier this month I wrote about Saul Bellow’s 1976 memoir “To Jerusalem and Back”, noting that I would “mention it again soon on these pages”. The phrase that prompted me to write that earlier piece, and which can be found on page 108 of my “Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics” edition, was “Now that the reading… Continue reading Word of the week: marginalia
Here are the questions and answers for the current series of ITV quiz show “Tenable”, episodes broadcast between Monday 11 and Friday 15 November 2019, Series 4 Episodes 21-25 (S4Ep21, S4Ep22 and so on). The format here is the same as in earlier pieces such as this one from last week: a list of the… Continue reading “Tenable” questions, week ending 15 November 2019 (Series 4, Episodes 21-25)
Reflections on hiring bikes in West London; there are over 1,500 words in this piece. These days the streets and pavements of London are awash with hire bikes. It began at some point earlier this century with the arrival of docking stations placed throughout the centre of town, home to extremely robust (and surprisingly heavy)… Continue reading Word of the week: Mobike
“Now that the reading fit is on me again” is a phrase that leapt out at me earlier this week, in Saul Bellow’s “To Jerusalem and Back”, his 1976 work subtitled “A Personal Memoir”. It’s exactly how I feel when going through a reading binge. I did not expect to find the same sentiment expressed… Continue reading “Now that the reading fit is on me again” (Saul Bellow)
Here are the questions and answers for the current series of ITV quiz show “Tenable”, episodes broadcast between Monday 4 and Friday 8 November 2019, Series 4 Episodes 16-20 (S4Ep16, S4Ep17 and so on). The format here is the same as in earlier pieces such as this one from last month: a list of the… Continue reading “Tenable” questions, week ending 8 November 2019 (Series 4, Episodes 16-20)
Here, for the fourth successive month, is a screenshot taken from the BBC website that shows the top of the Championship, the second tier of English football. Like its three predecessors, beginning with this piece in August, it shows Leeds United (the team that I have followed since childhood) top of the table. Leeds spent… Continue reading “If I were a betting man …”
Here are the questions and answers for the current series of ITV quiz show “Tenable”, episodes broadcast between Monday 28 October and Friday 1 November 2019, Series 4 Episodes 11-15 (S4Ep11, S4Ep12 and so on). The format here is the same as in earlier pieces such as this one from last month: a list of… Continue reading “Tenable” questions, week ending 1 November 2019 (Series 4, Episodes 11-15)
We are half-way through the latest series of “Strictly Come Dancing”. As noted before on this Blog, this BBC1 show is the most-watched TV programme here in the UK, and constitutes a large part of our family viewing. Most Saturday evenings the four of us are gathered in the living-room for the live show, and… Continue reading Word of the week: spoiler
The Compartments 