Gone Away
Dispatches from a life in America
270 posts
Chimanimani
(This is one of a series of articles I wrote dealing with memories of an African childhood. To read the first of these, click here ) It was Phil's idea, of course. He was a good four years younger than me, a strange,…
Rufus 2
Rufus Chapter One - Part Two The pup was a Staffie bitch (yes, Jennifer, the definition of the word is "a female canine") and she was our first lesson in the meaning of Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the finest of all…
Rufus 1
I have been prevailed upon to write of the red dog mentioned in my previous blog. Before I began, I realized that, to write of Rufus meant explaining about Bull Terriers. And to explain about Bull Terriers required me…
Okay, I Admit I Had a Childhood
(This is the first of a series of posts that I wrote concerning childhood memories of Africa. There is a link to the next at the end of the article.) It rained in the night. Heavy, African rain that drummed on the roof…
Is Blogging a Disease?
Good to see that Mad has doubled the previous record for Blog Comments. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, especially as he's my son, designs the geeky stuff behind my blog and occasionally threatens to pull the…
Retraction
I have been thinking about this thing they call The Holidays here. You may recall I mentioned it with disdain in a passage of the Journal . But I find I was wrong about it. It is not, as I suspected, something that has…
Did I Hear You Say?
It's of an old friend Or enemy An ever-present (once) Fear Fear of what? You ask And why that once In parentheses? Does fear need a name? Oh I gave it one Once When it tried to rule And I stared into pitiless eyes Can…
Sometimes It Gets Like This
I have nothing immediately ready to write in the Journal today so I'm wandering around, pondering, reading blogs and comments, and generally annoying myself by getting in my way. There aren't even any good blog subjects…
American Idols (2)
(to see the first American Idol Award, click here ) Numero Duo: Doppler Radar When Kathy and I were living in England, there was one thing she missed almost as much as her kids: the Doppler radar weather maps on…
A Lazy Day
As long as I can remember, I have ignored bandwagons. For a start, the only musical instrument I can play is the jews harp, so I would not be of much use to the band. And the bandwagon always looks so crowded to me -…
Pontification and a Vineyard
(This article forms part of the Journal that I am writing to describe my impressions of America since arrival in September, 2004. To begin reading this Journal from the beginning, click here .) Kathy and I live in the…
Breather
Okay, so The Big One is begun and progressing rather better than I'd expected. Six paragraphs done and almost reached the point! Can't be bad. Anyway, I figure I've earned a break. I thought I'd do a bit about blogging…
Failing to Win
Why is the insult "loser" so common today? I seem to hear it everywhere - "Oh don't worry about him, he's just a loser" or "You're such a loser". What is it about losing that is so terrible? Think about it with me for a…
An Invitation
Back in England there are castles and palaces, mansions and country estates, owned by our fading aristocracy. We call them stately homes. Very often, the original owners are still in residence but can no longer afford…
A Question of Sport
(This article forms part of the Journal that I am writing to describe my impressions of America since arrival in September, 2004. To begin reading this Journal from the beginning, click here .) I am not a sportsman, nor…
Procrastination
I will get back to the Journal shortly, I promise. The delay has been caused mainly through exhaustion but also because I approach a subject that I know will be extremely difficult to write about (without offending…
Landscapes
As a young man, way back in the mists of time, I had a dream of a landscape of rounded, rolling green hills, treeless and covered with a short, richly green grass, that went on forever. Small, clear streams wandered…
Just Renewed My Artistic Licence...
Yesterday I was complimented for this sentence in the Journal : "I fingered the event for days before, until it was as dog-eared as a favorite book." I admitted immediately that the idea was stolen from another author;…
Tumbleweeds and Turkeys
(This article forms part of the Journal that I am writing to describe my impressions of America since arrival in September, 2004. To begin reading this Journal from the beginning, click here .) I have been to Amarillo.…
Fool That I Am
I know what I am. I know that I have a certain facility for writing, that the words on the page seem easily, casually put down. Even, I am aware that this is a gift, a present from God, that I have not earned or…