blogs
Do Eclipses Cause Earthquakes?
As I am a member of the Torbay Astronomical Society, people seem to think (incorrectly) that I know everything about astronomy and other sciences. Recently I was chatting to a friend about the terribl ........
André Rieu or Fleetwood Mac
As a classical musician, I was surprised to discover in 2024 that I liked both of these groups of musicians. I remembered André Rieu and his orchestra from years ago: a violinist who dressed up like J ........
On International Women’s Day
I was listening to Radio 3. Mrs Kanneh-Mason, the mother of Sheku and other talented young musicians, posed the question, “Can you name ten female composers?”I had to rack my brains to do so.1. Abbess ........
Art on TV
TV is a massively successful medium, but what does it do best?Perhaps great state occasions, sports, nature programmes, science, travel, drama of various sorts, comedy, news and current affairs, quiz ........
Edwin Hubble-The Greatest Astronomer of all Time? Part 2
So far Hubble had proven that there are galaxies outside the Milky Way. Much more was to come from this remarkable astronomer.He was also observing more distant galaxies, and by looking at the redshif ........
Hubble- the Greatest Astronomer of all Time? Part 1
Having written about Charles Messier, it led me to wonder who the greatest astronomer of all time is. Edwin Hubble (1889-1953), after whom the Hubble Space Telescope was named, must be one of them.In ........
M1 - the beginning of a Messier Marathon
This is not about the London-Leeds motorway, but relates to a fascinating object in the Constellation of Taurus. It is called “M1”, because it is the first object in Messier’s Catalogue of Nebulous Ob ........
Christmas Story Part 3
The porter accompanied us to the taxi rank and we got in a taxi to head for home. A taxi ride for me: that was something! We could not usually even afford bus fares. Gérard paid the driver in cash and ........
Story so far
(Story so far: Jean’s dad is in prison and Jean and his mum are short of money. He has been caught shoplifting and is being interviewed at the police station.) The flic asked, “Are you part of a ........
Christmas Story Part I
I remember it well. The worst day in my life. I was twelve when my dad was sent to the nick: five years for drug dealing. Life was tough in our town since the big factory where dad had worked all hi ........
We Will Remember Them
Whilst watching the Remembrance Day ceremony in London on TV, and seeing the Royal Army Medical Corps in the procession, I was reminded of an autobiographical work that I read earlier this year. T ........
Train Crash at Llanbrynmair
It was sad for me to hear of the train crash on the Mid-Wales rail line on 5th November 2024, in which a passenger was killed and several others were injured. It was also surprising news, as train ........
Quincy Jones and Quincy
Quincy Jones has passed away and will be remembered as one of the giants of popular music in the last and in this century. With his great musical talent, he was a massive influence on pop music of man ........
No Trains at the Railway Station
Why are there no trains at the railway station? A strike, a shortage of drivers, or funding cutbacks? None of these, but evolution: not of species but of language. English, like other languages cont ........
The Year of the …………
I am told that it is the Chinese Year of the Wooden Dragon. For gardeners like me in southern England, it has been the Year of the Slug-maybe less scary than a dragon, but still an unwelcome visitor. ........
When Kings Had Nicknames
I am currently studying Anglo-Saxon history, preparing for an historical novel set in the reign of King Athelstan (925-939). He is referred to as the first King of All England. Unlike many other kings ........
Why Maris Piper?
Why Maris Piper? This is a two-part question: why was a potato variety called “Maris Piper”; and why has Maris Piper been so successful? In the years after World War 2, there was a green revolutio ........
The Genius of André Rieu
When I woke up on a Sunday morning last winter, I decided to watch Match of the Day on the TV in my bedroom. Instead of pressing 1 for BBC1, I pressed 11, to see an orchestra rehearsing and its co ........
King Arthur
King Arthur“King Arthur, at last we know who this great hero was, thanks to the amazing medieval manuscript now discovered in Brittany.” So says the eminent Professor Bronwen Williams in the Prefa ........
The Fisher King
Until the accession of King Charles, it was many years since we last had a King. I am old enough to remember the later years of the reign of King George VI. Between the two kings we have a Queen ( ........
New Year’s Resolutions
I have come generally to dislike New Year’s resolutions, and am trying to work out why.They might be: to lose weight, to quit smoking, to take more exercise, to perform better at work or in school, to ........
Christmas Music
What would Christmas be without music, whether its pop songs, its carols old and new, or its great choral works?Many enjoy Christmas pop music, perhaps because of its associations with happy times in ........
Thoughts on writing Christmas Cards
December is here and the weather has taken a turn for the worse in much of the country. I have made progress in the garden. All the fallen leaves have now been collected. Some will make leaf mould and ........
Crocodile Farming in Zambia
There are many ways of earning a living, but I had never imagined that crocodile farming was one of them. Why farm crocodiles? Surely it is very hazardous to do so. You can’t milk them or take their e ........
Remember the Fifth of November “Bonfire Night”
In the 1950s Bonfire Night was the big event in the autumn. Halloween was not at that time much of a celebration. Trick or Treat came over from America later in the last century, along with supe ........
Friday the 13th in Newton Abbot
Yesterday was Friday the 13th of October. Was something nasty going to happen to someone? The answer was “Yes”. I do not know the name of the unfortunate person or what happened or where it happened. ........
Anti-Semitism: Blame the Romans
The main character in the novel is a young Jewish man called Lionel. In 1968, he comes up against anti-Semitism, which he thought had ended with the defeat of the Nazis. His mother has to give him a h ........
Halloween Horror Story
A very old gentleman lived alone in a large house, with creaky floorboards and windows which rattled in the wind. It was Halloween. He had very happy memories of celebrating Halloween when he was youn ........
The Rabbit in the Wheelie Bin
This is a true story of events which happened a few years ago, which could have had a tragic ending. Not everyone is an animal lover.It was evening in a suburb of Torquay, and tomorrow was bin day. Th ........
The Lionesses
Last night I watched the Lionesses in their highly contested match against Holland, which sadly they lost. I am a big fan of the Lionesses; they are so skilled, fit, and athletic, motivated and play a ........
The Four Seasons in South Devon
This is the beginning of my blog about the seasons. I start with the current season, autumn 2023.Autumn is my favourite month. We are now in September the transition from summer to autumn. Forgotten a ........