We could not find the tea cosy, and I was mortified. For the benefit of younger readers (if any) and anyone not British, a tea cosy is an insulated hat that covers a teapot to keep the tea therein hot. You hardly ever see them nowadays, presumably because fewer people make tea properly, in aContinue reading “Blog 136. Who Would Want A Photograph of Mr Grumpy?”
Author Archives: Commander Shacklepin
Blog 135. Take the Plunge, Spare the Thrunge
I first became aware of a major crisis developing in the kitchen when I saw Jane scuttling past the drawing room carrying a sink plunger. It was 2130 and supper had completed long ago; indeed, it was at that time in the day when I normally sat in the armchair, burping quietly as my digestiveContinue reading “Blog 135. Take the Plunge, Spare the Thrunge”
Blog 134. Entente Cordiale
I sometimes wonder why the French seem to hate the English so much (I use the nationality advisedly because, for a fair old time, the French were very chummy with the Scots). It is a rivalry that has been going on, pretty-much, since 1066 when the Normans invaded England and imposed their will on theContinue reading “Blog 134. Entente Cordiale”
Blog 133. It’s Only Money
One thousand, seven hundred pounds. I simply couldn’t believe it as I walked away from my dentist’s surgery. I kept saying it over and over in my mind as I crossed the ancient pedestrian bridge over the picturesque river in our nearby Quaint Little Town, oblivious to the sunshine, the birdsong and the general promiseContinue reading “Blog 133. It’s Only Money”
Blog 132. Divorce
Well, that’s it: we have decided to part. Frankly, it still breaks my heart when I think about it: life on my own after all these years, but what choice do I have? I know I have been painting a picture of domestic bliss in all these blogs, but you may have sensed aContinue reading “Blog 132. Divorce”
Blog 131. Did I Mention My Cut Finger?
Can there be a more depressing place to be than a funeral? I know that these occasions are meant to be a celebration of the dead person’s life but, let’s face it, they never are. Even if the late departed is only slightly known to you, you still get upset – especially as you getContinue reading “Blog 131. Did I Mention My Cut Finger?”
Blog 130. Give Me a Ring Sometime
The final slice of tarte tatin remaining from our last dinner party lay before me, covered in cream. I savoured it for quite some moments, just as a starving survivor in a lifeboat might eye up the cabin boy for his next meal. Christmas was over, 2024 had begun, and the pudding in front ofContinue reading “Blog 130. Give Me a Ring Sometime”
Blog 129. Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree
I was ambushed last Sunday. No, not by deserters and footpads returning from the Duke of Monmouth’s Pitchfork Rebellion, but by Jane. I should have seen the warning signs: the request for a printout of our Christmas Card List, the purchase of what seemed like £100 worth of Second Class stamps…. However, like a fool,Continue reading “Blog 129. Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree”
Blog 128. Call me Sir
Mount Crushmore is back. Regular readers will recognise that this soubriquet was first attributed to the enormous pile of rubble left over from the demolition of the old Philips shipyard buildings at Noss Marina in Kingswear, where my boat is moored. Despite the pile being subjected, for over a year, to the attentions of anContinue reading “Blog 128. Call me Sir”
Blog 127. After You With Those Crayons
So that was summer. It was 5C outside our house last night and the central heating is back on for the winter. For Jane, out go the skirts, shorts, sandals and sun tops; in come the trousers, socks, jumpers and (soon, I dare say) vests. We calculate that we, the Shacklepins, had only about thirtyContinue reading “Blog 127. After You With Those Crayons”
"A Very Vintage Chap..." 