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Chapter 1 – Arthur
Arthur turned the volume down on the radio, the strains of the Scottish reel sinking to a whisper. ‘Hey, buddy,’ he said as the stranger climbed into the back of his cab. ‘It’s a fine day, ain’t it?’ When there was no answer, Arthur glanced backwards. ‘Was it a long trip?’ It would be a… Continue reading
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May 16 Bird list
May 2016 bird species in and around our garden: Blackbird; Collared Dove; Siskin; Jackdaw; Crow; House Sparrow; Chaffinch; Robin; Red Kite; Coal Tit; Goldfinch; Greenfinch; Swallow; Blue Tit; Great Tit; Oyster Catcher; Song Thrush; Geese; Buzzard; Swift; Bullfinch; Gull; Wood Pigeon Continue reading
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A Question of Titles
Does anyone know which of these sentences is the most correct: “Mr Smith went to the market.” “Mister Smith went to the market.” Would there be occasions when one form would be preferred over the other? Continue reading
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April 2016 Bird List
The month of April saw the following birds in or above our back garden: Blackbird Siskin Chaffinch House Sparrow Red Kite Collared Dove Robin Jackdaw Goldfinch Nuthatch Coal Tit Redpoll Great Tit Song Thrush Sparrow Hawk Dunnock Crow Hen (from our neighbour’s again!) Blue Tit Heron Gull (not sure which variety) Greenfinch Swallow The first… Continue reading
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Bird by Bird
I’m reading Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” which I picked up second hand from Amazon, and am loving every minute of it. This is a humorous look at how to write well, with an accessible delivery that makes it easy to take in. Two lessons have stood out for… Continue reading
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March 2016 Birdlist
Here’s the second in the occasional series of birds we have spotted in our garden during the last month. Just like a talent show’s results, the list is in no particular order: Chaffinch Blue Tit Siskin Sparrow Blackbird Goldfinch Coal Tit Red Kite Collared Dove Robin Jackdaw Crow Great Tit Nut Hatch Barnacle Goose Greenfinch… Continue reading
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Train Blues
For the third time in a month my train doesn’t get any further south than Lancaster on it’s route to Manchester Airport, its scheduled stop. Why? Because they don’t have enough train drivers. Really TransPennine Express? Really? Lucky for me I only go as far as Lockerbie… Continue reading
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Gardening Ouch!
With the first real glint of spring, we finally got around to putting a couple of slabs down in front of our compost bins, and surrounded them with wood chips. It’s a huge improvement from the slippery mess we had before. Now, we can look forward to emptying our compost with a much reduced risk… Continue reading
