For some reason the train had terminated at Woking and we had to change to get to London, it was a wet Friday evening in early November. We brought some warm lager from the newsagent outside and sat about waiting for a train, happily contemplating what we where going to do with the weekend. The… Continue reading To this day it remains one of my fondest memories
Month: July 2005
Blazers, medals and maroon berets
At 6:30 pm two men at London’s Victoria station were wearing blazers, medals and maroon berets. The Parachute Regiment, WW2. They had been manning their little stand collecting money since before 9:30 when I passed them on they way to work. Behind them are photos of men at war, smiling, exhausted and bloody. They are… Continue reading Blazers, medals and maroon berets
The NHS and negative nationalism
I have fractured my ankle, not seriously but enough for it to be in a cast for the next four weeks. And a great cast it is too, bright orange plastic set off with a smart little black bootie. Nice. The handiwork was carried out by a nurse at Kings College Hospital in Denmark Hill,… Continue reading The NHS and negative nationalism
The Bang–Bang Club, Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva
I spent most weekday evenings during the mid eighties glued to the Nine O’clock News and Panorama. The news seemed to be full of stories about miners and apartheid whilst Panorama, with its terrifying theme tune, tended to focus on nuclear war and apartheid. The last sentence forms the basis of my argument that the… Continue reading The Bang–Bang Club, Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva
Oasis at the City of Manchester Stadium
The Twenty 20 cricket on Friday night at Edgebaston was superb entertainment, loads of noise and action washed down with plenty of lager. Okay it’s cricket for people that don’t know about the sport, like me, but hugely enjoyable all the same. It was nice also to see so many dads there with their kids.… Continue reading Oasis at the City of Manchester Stadium
1968: The year that rocked the world, Mark Kurlansky
I like the way that this book sounds, an historical text rewritten as a story by a journalist who has the ability to make anything sound interesting. The research involved is penetrating in the way that it picks up on personal points from eye witness accounts, this leaves the reader with a genuine sense of… Continue reading 1968: The year that rocked the world, Mark Kurlansky