I was cruising in the Caribbean. The sea was an azure blue and the boat rolled gently in the swell. It was lovely and warm, and I was approaching a sandy beach as white as icing sugar with the intention of anchoring. Jane was wearing a green bikini (at least, I think it was Jane)Continue reading “Blog 56. Yes, still alive.”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Blog 55. Never Sleep Under a Coconut Tree
They follow me around you know. The children, I mean. I am convinced that God is putting me to the test like He did with Jesus when He spent 40 days in the desert (and there the comparison between me and the Son of God definitely ends). We are back on the boat and, inContinue reading “Blog 55. Never Sleep Under a Coconut Tree”
Blog 54. Master and Commander under God
July is the start of the new autumn. I hesitate to parrot my good wife on the subject of the weather, but the British climate really is the damned limit. No sooner had the restriction on staying overnight away from home been lifted, than the weather closed down. This, of course, was coincident with usContinue reading “Blog 54. Master and Commander under God”
Blog 53. All at Sea
Ahoy, my hearties. I write to you from the high seas, well my yacht alongside a pontoon on the River Dart with the high sea a mile downstream, but the principle is the same. We are still bouncing around even if we are alongside, and the wind is howling through the rigging like a banshee. Continue reading “Blog 53. All at Sea”
Blog 52. A Pair of Brown Eyes
Root canal. The very words seem deliberately calculated to scare the living daylights out of you. It is the treatment suggested for dealing with my toothache (yes, I still have it, though it has eased considerably). I returned to the dental surgery the other day to have the errant tooth removed as previously arranged but,Continue reading “Blog 52. A Pair of Brown Eyes”
Blog 51. The Garden Strikes Back
Prohibition has started. Not in Britain, you will be relieved to hear, but in the Shacklepin Household. It came to pass on Sunday, when there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus the memsahib stating in capital letters: There Will Be No More Alcohol Or Puddings During The Week. This Draconian edict was, apparently, necessaryContinue reading “Blog 51. The Garden Strikes Back”
Blog 50. You are not a god.
Well, there you go: Blog 50, or 15 missives and countless grumbles, observations and adventures since Covid 19 started to impinge on our lives and liberties. Who would have thought that I could have lasted this long without her killing me (though I have felt a pricking between my shoulder blades a few times, andContinue reading “Blog 50. You are not a god.”
Blog 49. Every Convenience.
The study door flew open:“I am soaked!”, she cried.“Is it raining? I thought it had stopped”“Very funny. It was that damned cat scarer”Ah. We have seen a return of roaming cats in the garden, a nuisance that I have been battling with for nearly eight years and which I thought I had eliminated. It isContinue reading “Blog 49. Every Convenience.”
Blog 48. Queen for the Day
“What’s for breakfast tomorrow, darling?”“You should know. You’re cooking it”“Oh”I had forgotten that, in a moment of weakness and generosity, I had promised to make her “Queen for the Day” tomorrow. These exceptional occasions are chosen on a random basis (keep ‘em guessing is my motto) and are characterised by me preparing the breakfast forContinue reading “Blog 48. Queen for the Day”
Blog 47. The Far Side of the Moon
Tragedy: the ice machine is broken. No more gins and tonic, no more Horse’s Necks, no more Pimms: not unless you like your drinks warm. This is truly a disaster. Well, we have had that ice machine for at least 15 years, so I suppose it has had a good innings. I could tell thatContinue reading “Blog 47. The Far Side of the Moon”
"A Very Vintage Chap..." 