Feel free to leave a comment. Occasionally people do. Comments await approval before they are displayed on this Blog, so it might be a day or two before they appear. My most diligent readers email me directly about pieces, and tens of thousands of words have been drafted and sent in private email conversations. All… Continue reading Comments, and a selection of recent Spam
The new Trivia Season has begun. The three TV quiz formats that will reach their conclusions next spring are back on our screens: “University Challenge” began in July, “Mastermind” in August and “Only Connect” a week ago, on the first Monday in September. Once again “Only Connect” precedes “University Challenge” in an hour’s worth of… Continue reading Word of the week: amanuensis
The 2016 UK #1 “I took a pill in Ibiza” by Mike Posner is a recent addition to my repertoire. It was unfamiliar to me until last week. It reminds me of Joe South’s classic 1969 release “The games people play” (which peaked at #6) so I mix the two songs together. Ibiza is one… Continue reading More pop trivia: UK #1s that feature places
The current Ashes series is tied at 1-1 with two games to play. England’s win in the Third Test at Headingley last month kept the series alive and has put cricket back on the front pages of all the papers here in the UK. If Australia had won, they would have retained the Ashes. Much… Continue reading More about cricketers’ surnames allowable in Scrabble
Following on from this piece at the start of the year, here’s another set of photos showing what remains after a pint of beer and a packet of crisps have been dealt with. They were taken at various bars in West London, Spain and Ireland. The concept of “The 4-Ring Man” was originally covered in… Continue reading The 4-Ring Man, in pictures (Part 2)
We are back from our holiday in Spain, well looked after throughout our stay by my brother, who has lived there for most of his adult life. In fact, he has lived there for well over half of his entire life. It is nearly 36 years since he left London to set up home there.… Continue reading Word of the week: sunburn
Today is our 18th wedding anniversary. The temperature here in London has been even hotter than on the day we got married, and back in 2001 that was the hottest day of the year. Just like last year, we drove into town to have lunch at a branch of Wagamama. Unlike last year we didn’t… Continue reading Our wedding video, “Dad’s Army”, and an audio treat
47 years ago this month, “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper was #1 in the UK charts. It was followed by “You Wear it Well” (Rod Stewart) and “Mama Weer All Crazee Now” (Slade). You will not find many better three-in-a-row sequences of chart-toppers. If you can think of one, leave a comment below. Recently, “School’s… Continue reading “We can’t even think of a word that rhymes!”
If you were in the UK in the 1970s and spent any time watching TV on a Saturday night you will have seen a musical act containing the word “Swingle”, “The Swingle Singers” perhaps, or “Swingle II”. They would appear on shows like “The Two Ronnies”, performing a cappella versions of, well, I can’t remember… Continue reading Word of the week: Swingle
WARNING: There are three photos at the end of this piece that show the effects of insect bites on my skin this summer, and an infection that affected my palms some years ago. You might find them rather unpleasant but they illustrate what this piece is about. If you are squeamish about such things, be… Continue reading Holiday notes: sun, sea, sand, and insect bites
The Compartments 