Month: February 2021

Some Corner of a Foreign Field

When PG Wodehouse was interned in 1940 he had a long and uncomfortable journey to Upper Silesia, spending five weeks in the fort at Huy, a place better viewed from the outside. You will be curious about Huy and may not be quite sure where it is or how to pronounce it.

Man Overboard

It’s a nasty story. As a psychologist, lapsed since graduating in 1976, Maxwell’s character seems to have been scarred by his early years.

Ramblings

Ramblings is an apt description of this website. It is also Clare Balding’s radio programme.

An Admirable Admiral

Cloudesley Shovell’s a grand name for a chap who doesn’t have to spell it out every time he talks to a call centre. He could be the central character in a series by Patrick O’Brian, for he spent most of his life at sea.

The Font Race

It’s a well-known fact the more it snows (tiddely pom) the colder the toes. Less well known is under lockdown the more it snows the more bonkers I become.

Gee-Gee

Grinling Gibbons sounds like the sort of oath Captain Haddock might roar, probably preceded by “great”, when enraged. Yesterday I pointed out his, I thought, quite rare stone font in St James’ Church, Piccadilly.

Published
Categorised as Sculpture

Look and Learn

Look and Learn seemed to me inferior in every respect to a good novel and I only read it if there was absolutely nothing else available. These days Aquila is the go-to mag for a grandparent wanting to give a present that will not be well received. It’s why Aquila advertises in The Oldie.