My remarks about the red daisies which bent, but did not break as the lawn mower passed by, have caused some interesting correspondence. People have pointed out that several old civilisations realised the wisdom of bending in order to avoid breaking.
A friend tells me, however, that his Latin school motto (at a boys’ school in England) took [...]

Listening to a jazz radio station as we made dinner, I was surprised to hear the announcer describe every track as ‘a song’, even though the programme was a sequence of purely instrumental tracks. ‘What’s your next song?’ he kept saying to his guest, who’d reply without batting an eyelid, ‘My next song is a [...]

Unusual flowers have appeared in our little lawn this year. Violets, which we’ve never seen in the garden before, and daisies which are bright pink or deep red (see photo). When it was time to mow the lawn, we sorrowfully bade them farewell. The lawn was also full of rough-looking dandelions which needed firm treatment.
Next [...]

I’ve just finished reading ‘Julie and Julia’, an entertaining account of Julie Powell’s year spent cooking her way through Julia Child’s 1961 ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’, the book which famously opened the American public’s eyes to the art and style of classic French cuisine.
Julie Powell keeps things light, perhaps too light, but I [...]

Many thanks to everyone who gave me feedback after my request for same on this blog’s first anniversary.
In the fevered run-up to this Thursday’s UK General Election, and with political rhetoric ringing in my ears, I’m happy to announce that I have been re-elected leader of this blog, with a mandate which clearly shows that the electorate is satisfied with [...]