Life with cats, and other things…
How obvious it is, looking back from 55 years on, how the events of those brief weeks in the summer of 1964 shaped my life. Many other things contributed, of course, but how different my life might have been. There is no way of knowing if it would have been better. There is always the … Continue reading The Summer of ’64
You would think, perhaps, that emigrating, - "leaving one's home country to live elsewhere", ought to be a fairly big deal. I think so myself, now. In 1963 it had no more importance to me than any of the other temporary moves I had made. In theory, I was given a choice about whether or … Continue reading Immigrating
If I start with something funny, maybe I will get myself going. It's a little hard today. One of the reasons I have not been all that fond of Summer, particularly in these parts, is that they are "buggy". I haven't changed my mind about that, as I am apparently highly allergic to some particular … Continue reading Who’s been in the window well?
Barnstaple High Street Barnstaple is where I sometimes went if I was allowed to leave at a weekend. I once took my friend Mary and introduced her to hard cider. She was still tipsy when we got back to Bideford, but I don' t think the nuns noticed! Two of the most mean-spirited people I … Continue reading Free-thinkers not welcome
The Long Bridge, Bideford, North Devon After arriving "home" in the Spring of 1962, for a brief time, the family was reunited. My parents remained in England for a few months before my father took up a new posting in Laos. They rented a small flat in Richmond, a rather pleasant borough of London that … Continue reading To the West Country
Morning mist, Cambridge August 2019 At what age this starts, I'm not really sure. Perhaps it's whatever the official retirement age happens to be. Suddenly, when you go for a doctor's appointment, you find that you have been determined to be old. The first sign is when they start asking whether you have had any … Continue reading Resisting progress?
Stella Maris, where I lived for 2 years, up in the draughty top floor The next episode of my educational odyssey took me back to England, somewhat to my disgust. Considering the problems I had encountered being at boarding school in Asia, you would think I ought to have been relieved to go back to … Continue reading Stella Maris
