As a child in the 1970s I went to a small Church of England Primary school in the rural Essex village of Colne Engaine. Situated at the edge of the village the school looked over fields and woods in three directions, in all seasons the slightly undulating expanse of countryside formed a familiar backdrop to… Continue reading Life in the Parachute Regiment, aged ten
Year: 2014
The rise of the birthday Buzzard
A few years ago we started calling my Dad “The Buzzard”, due to his bald head, beakish nose and general birdlike appearance. As it turns out we were referring to a Vulture which is more bald and Geoff Coleman like in appearance, rather than the Buzzard, which is well feathered European bird of prey. However… Continue reading The rise of the birthday Buzzard
The dark side of the early eighties
The only music I really had access to when I was younger was my Dad’s record collection. He didn’t have much in the way of vinyl, maybe enough to fit into a couple of cardboard boxes and most of it had been played to death or had been scratched by us as kids. It sat… Continue reading The dark side of the early eighties
19, Paul Hardcastle
I first heard this record round my cousin Paul’s house in Ipswich after it was released in 1985. Paul was a townie and a casual, unlike me and my brothers who where from a rural village in Essex. Never as well dressed, we were as unlikely to wear electric blue cords or Fila tracksuit tops… Continue reading 19, Paul Hardcastle
Ninety quid for an England shirt?
As a boy I always wanted an England shirt, I don’t remember precisely when I started wanting one but it was probably during the Espana ’82 campaign, the year that Paul Mariner and Trevor Brooking were in the squad. It was white with a broad blue and red stripe across the shoulders, it had the… Continue reading Ninety quid for an England shirt?
Keep Calm and throw all that shit into landfill
The whole Keep Calm and Carry On thing has officially run its course, it’s no longer the ‘In thing’ and is about as relevant as bootcut jeans or Snow Patrol. What was once the darling of the broadsheet gorping middle class can now be found as a staple in any shop selling cheap landfill received… Continue reading Keep Calm and throw all that shit into landfill
Leigh, Warwood and Fuller, Sochi 2014 Gold for commentary
Both myself and Mandy watched the Sochi 2014 Women’s Slopestyle on Sunday and spent the rest of the day walking round the house shouting phrases picked up from the excitable commentary team of Ed Leigh, Tim Warwood and Aimee Fuller. “Whop-a-tron!” seemed to be the favourite with “Smack it down!” coming a close second. Yes… Continue reading Leigh, Warwood and Fuller, Sochi 2014 Gold for commentary
I hate humans because they stink of shit
There’s a part in a film from the last ten years when an alien posing as a human gives his reasons for hating the human race, along with destroying our own environment it’s also because we smell. I can’t recall the name of the film, it could have been Men in Black or The Matrix,… Continue reading I hate humans because they stink of shit