I am a man of simple tastes. As far as food is concerned, all I ask for is a fried egg and a plate of chips. In the drinks department, you can cast me adrift with a crate of pale ale and a bottle or two of single malt whisky, and I would complain to … Continue reading Somebody’s Short Of A Happy New Year
Author: Alan Burnett
Rambling Along Neural Pathways
I was lying in bed last night thinking, the way one does, about neural pathways. I can't be sure that is the correct name for the strange threads that connect memories together, but if it isn't, it will do until a better one comes along. Like country pathways, they tend to avoid straight lines, and … Continue reading Rambling Along Neural Pathways
With A Little Help From A Friend
This is the outcome of yet another late-night, malt-whisky induced, Photoshop adventure. The starting point was a rather tattered little print from an old photograph album. The album contained thirty or forty prints of entirely unknown origin, which I bought off eBay for less than the price of a cup of tea in a coffee … Continue reading With A Little Help From A Friend
Boot-Caking, Door-Clogging, Welly-Wetting Snow
In my mind's eye there was always snow in winter when I was younger. That same mind's eye observed week after week of uninterrupted sunshine during each summer. It is, of course, all nonsense: if your mind has an eye at all it is equipped with about as much memory as a Sinclair ZX80 computer. … Continue reading Boot-Caking, Door-Clogging, Welly-Wetting Snow
Standing Firm And Staying Still
I was trying to explain to someone the other day why I have always steered clear of moving images. Ever since I first picked a camera up back in the sepia days of my youth, people have always seemed to see still images as a poor second-cousin to the magic of moving pictures. At first … Continue reading Standing Firm And Staying Still
Free Insurance For The Coming Year
There is nothing like the 1st of January appearing on the calendar to start a rush of New Year Resolutions. I suspect I have now lived long enough to realise that - if you are going to turn over a new leaf, or set out on a new and better trajectory through life - it … Continue reading Free Insurance For The Coming Year
Christmas
A seasonal image for the Christmas period: an early twentieth century celebrity postcard. It is captioned "The mother of The Missess Zena and Phyllis Dare". Zena and Phyllis were musical comedy stars of the early years of the twentieth century, and their mother was Harriette Amelia Wheeler. She was the victim of an unhappy marriage … Continue reading Christmas
Wet
A wet day in Brighouse, fifty-four years ago. Full of memories - donkey jackets, mini cars and Timothy Whites chemist. More resonant in these difficult times, memories of crowded pavements and social interaction.
Travel
On a day that we seem to be more isolated from the rest of the world than ever before, a reminder of the times when travel was easier. A reminder also of summer, and one of the beautiful capitals of Northern Europe. This was the city of Tallinn in Estonia during a visit in 2016.