"What is it?", said Lucy. "It's more a question of what was it", I replied philosophically. "It could have been corn, it might have been hay, even possibly wheat; but right now it is stubble, and more to the point, it digs into your ankles". "Tell me about it", whined Lucy, "I've got twice as … Continue reading Around The World In Eighty Words : 1 SHORT
Category: News From Nowhere
In The North
This unused picture postcard - which came into my possession by fair means or foul, originated in France in 1916. It shows a cartoon by the artist, Jean Louis Forain, and is entitled “Dans le Nord - En Esclavage” (In the North - In Bondage). The drawing contains a quotation from the proclamation issued by … Continue reading In The North
Around The World In Eighty Words : START
You know what it's like. You've had a drink or two too many, you are on the edge of being bored, Coronation Street is not what it was, you want to broaden your horizons ...... so you get into one of those "I bet I could" conversations. I would like to say that it was … Continue reading Around The World In Eighty Words : START
Matching Moods On Sepia Saturday
I have been participating in the Sepia Saturday project for the best part of ten years and matching themes for most of that time. I have featured pictures of bridges to match bridges and pictures of my granny in a hat to coincide with hat week. After getting on for 600 weeks, however, I now … Continue reading Matching Moods On Sepia Saturday
Talking To Spirits
Spirit of Art by James Woodford. Huddersfield Library and Art Gallery. 1937 Walked through Huddersfield today and fell into conversation with the Spirit of Art, one of the two grand sculptures outside Huddersfield Library and Art Gallery. She was happy to talk to me having had nobody but the Spirit of Literature - from the … Continue reading Talking To Spirits
Compressed History : Down The Pit
Is it possible to compress more history into such a small space as with cigarette cards? These tiny illustrated cards were given away free with packs of cigarettes back in the mid-twentieth century, so all the family could benefit from the tobacco trade: mum and dad could smoke themselves to death whilst smiling children stuck … Continue reading Compressed History : Down The Pit
The Kids These Days
You can't look at the papers these days without seeing it: pointless vandalism, violence, murder. The kids these days - with their social media and lives of material comfort. It was never like that when I was young, back in the 1950s when there was national service, discipline in home and school, and policemen still … Continue reading The Kids These Days
Breakfast On The Morning Tram
One of my favourite Stacey Kent songs has always been Breakfast On The Morning Tram, which was written by Jim Tomlinson with lyrics by Kazuo Ishiguro. I've always imagined some exotic European city setting, but having come across a short piece from 1918 in the Illustrated London News, I am wondering whether he had early twentieth century Halifax … Continue reading Breakfast On The Morning Tram
Town Halls, Sewers And Chapels
The Victorians were good at Town Halls: built with equal parts of civic pride, cheap labour and local taxes. Town Halls, sewers, churches and chapels - the Victorians were big on them all. Elland Town Hall never functioned as a seat of local government; but parts of it have been used as all manner of … Continue reading Town Halls, Sewers And Chapels
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