Category: Family

Send Hot Water Bottle

Every Sunday at my Dublin prep school (Castle Park) we had to write a letter to our parents. These were strictly censored to eliminate any off-message remarks about the CP regime. My sister’s first school did not have such a restriction.

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An Ambassador in the Family

Nigel Farage has, it seems, struck up a rapport with President-elect Trump; an unlikely friendship as Trump doesn’t drink. Might Farage be a suitable UK ambassador to the United States?

Hooray for Mateus Rosé

An army friend told me that he had arranged a reunion dinner for his intake at Sandhurst. To make it more interesting he got copies of their Sandhurst reports and put them at their places. They all opened them, most laughed and shared the contents with their neighbours but some hastily put them away. These… Continue reading Hooray for Mateus Rosé

Zeppelin – Part Three

If you are up to speed on the Zeppelin story you can skip this bit. If you aren’t, my grandfather’s half-brother Courtenay Bellew, while serving in the Irish Guards as a 2nd Lt. in 1916, was sent to guard the wreckage of a Zeppelin that had been shot down in Essex. He stole two valves… Continue reading Zeppelin – Part Three

Zeppelin – Part Two

Yesterday we left two wrecked Zeppelins in Essex early on the morning of 24th September 1916. The Irish Guards were sent to secure the area around the burnt-out remains of L32 not far from Billericay. 

An Evie Hone Window or Two

Last week I mentioned visiting old haunts in Highgate (Highgate Revisited). The primary purpose of my return was to go to St Michael’s which has perhaps Evie Hone’s third best window.

Living On Own Means

When the 1841 census was taken my ancestor, Richard Montesquieu Bellew, was living alone in New Burlington Street. His wife had died in 1828, a year after their marriage, and he never re-married.

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A Time of Gifts

A sign that I’m getting on a bit came when one of my God-daughters invited me to her daughter’s Christening. I was pleased to be asked, glad that I accepted and toddled along bearing a token gift.

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Sweet Afton

I bought some shares in an investment trust last week and yesterday was writing up the trade. Idly turning back the pages I took a look at my first entry.