Month: July 2016

Yellow Menace

Two holders of the Victoria Cross are buried in Margravine Cemetery, see Local Hero and Another Local Hero. There are other war memorials including a column for staff at J Lyons killed in The Great War and a curved wall naming those those killed on the Home Front in WW II. The Lyons memorial was… Continue reading Yellow Menace

First Prize

William Morris is all around me; drying-up cloths, his Willow Bough pattern on a sofa, the William Morris Academy round the corner, a pub in Hammersmith and …

Published
Categorised as Art

Portraits

Painters’ Paintings is at the National Gallery until 4th September. I went this week. 

Published
Categorised as Art

Democratic Deficit

Two-party politics? Dead or alive? Labour – banana split, Republicans – cookies, Democrats –  another helping of banana split. Conservatives managed to avoid an Eton Mess.

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Categorised as Politics

Water Music

I heard the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra play at a classical music festival in Dorset quite a few years ago. The setting was spectacular looking down to Studland Bay and a group of us camped. The whole thing was made even more enjoyable because very few people turned up – only about 800 the night we… Continue reading Water Music

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Categorised as Music

What’s Cooking?

  The UK stock market has been doing much better than I expected in the aftermath of Brexit. However, it is early days in an economic narrative that will unfold over many years. Here is an update on something which is playing out more rapidly.

Sweet Caress

Does the title indicate that on the Internet a bit of soft porn always goes down well? A not-so-subtle shift to find a new readership? It most certainly does not and you won’t have been fooled as you recognise Sweet Caress as the title of William Boyd’s latest novel.

Published
Categorised as Literature

Key of the Door

It’s not a very clear picture because of Getty Images wanting to establish their ownership. Here is a better one taken of the same person in the same place as a grown-up: so grown-up that he is Prime Minister. If you have politically prococious offspring and want a photo like the top one there are… Continue reading Key of the Door

Published
Categorised as Politics

Unpaid Workers

Politicians try to endear themselves to the electorate, in a democracy, by promising to crack-down on something that they think will please voters. Theresa May is no exception. She opened the batting with a call for workers to be represented in the boardroom and for curbs on directors’ pay. Admirable sentiments that remind me of… Continue reading Unpaid Workers

Tommy Jameson

In a recent post, On Appro, I referred to my grandmother’s brother, Tommy Jameson. My Bellew grandfather was listed in The Field magazine among the best 150 shots in an article celebrating 150 years of that magazine’s publication. He represented both England and Ireland shooting clay pigeons and was a fine sporting shot. However, his… Continue reading Tommy Jameson