Category: Family

Snaffles

Snaffles, the early 20th century equestrian artist, unwittingly lent his name to a restaurant in a basement in Lower Leeson Street, Dublin, that opened in 1968. Four friends jointly owned it; a wine merchant called Fitzgerald, a flâneur called Cobby Knight and Rose and Nicholas Tinne. In those days small restaurants were unusual – people… Continue reading Snaffles

Stones of Venice

A new exhibition opens at the Ashmolean today; drawings of Venice culled from the Uffizi, Christ Church and their own collection. Among others they are by Titian, Tintoretto and Canaletto.

All The King’s Horses

All The Queen’s horses, of course, and in 2013 there were still 501 of them in the British army. More than there are tanks, only 227.

66 Mark Lane

My life in the City began on the first Monday in August 1976 and looks as if it ended at 5.00 pm on the first Monday in August this year, 39 years later.

Don’t Expect The Orient Express

It is hard to convey how much pleasure I take in train travel. I think it may be because I didn’t get much exposure to it as a child, although the Dublin – Belfast line passed close to Grangebellew (by Mrs Kelly’s excellent snipe bog, shooting by permission and always granted).

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Categorised as Family, Travel

Walled Gardens

Walled Gardens is the title of Annabel Goff’s memoir about her childhood in the south of Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s. (Since describing William Waldegrave’s book as a memoir I now find that it is an autobiography: the former is a description of one part of a person’s life, the latter the whole thing,… Continue reading Walled Gardens

To Jeremy In Islington

This summer I have been trying to interest Jeremy Corbyn in this blog. No good hoping that he will like my politics so I have put in pictures of manhole covers on three occasions. So, Jeremy, now that I have your attention I have some advice for you.

Woodlouse

There is a curved wall at Barmeath where the height of children is recorded and on the opposite wall of visitors thought to be of interest. Amongst the latter I remember Sir Denys Lowson, Lord Mayor of London in 1950/51 and rather a tall chap as his picture, above, shows.

Russian For Beginners

First, and only, visit to the Proms this week; the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra playing under the baton of spritely, septuagenarian Yuri Temirkanov a programme of sophisticated Russian music. Or as I subsequently found, a programme described by the condescending BBC as “classical for starters”.