Category: PG Wodehouse

On Hackney Coaches

An almost contemporary of Sir Walter is Sir Thomas Lipton – both successful self-made men from humble beginnings. Like Walter, Thomas Lipton was a friend of Edward VII leading the Kaiser to mock the king for going boating with his grocer. He already went carriage driving with his wine merchant. That says much about social… Continue reading On Hackney Coaches

Broken Line

You may remember, I do, the ferry tragedy at Zeebruge in 1987 when Herald of Free Enterprise, a roll-on/roll-off car ferry, capsized killing 193 passengers.

Sailing

The original ferry to the Isle of Wight is Red Funnel which has been in business since 1861. I can attest that there is nothing more gratifying than alighting in Cowes and stepping aboard the Royal Yacht Squadron tender to cross the short distance to Cowes Castle, the clubhouse of The Squadron.

The Feast Day of St Christopher

There is a treat in store for PG Wodehouse fans next month. On 9th May there is an event at the British Library with a cast of Wodehouse descendants and luminaries.

The Sirs Have It

Hugh Laurie, Sir Edward Cazalet and Sir Stephen Fry by the Wodehouse memorial stone in Westminster Abbey on 14th February, the 50th anniversary of Wodehouse’s death.

Plum Podcasts

Fifty years ago today PG Wodehouse died in hospital in Long Island aged 93. The anniversary will not go unmarked.

Project Gutenberg

The oldest library in the world is thought to be the Library of Ashurbanipal in modern day Iraq. When it was founded in the 7th century BC it was in Assyria, a city-state in Mesopotamia. The oldest continuously working library may be the Al-Qarawiyyin library in Fez, Morocco, dating from 859 AD (a suspiciously precise… Continue reading Project Gutenberg

The Rain in Spain

Unfortunately flooding in Spain is not new. The rain in Spain turns dry ravines into dangerous raging torrents.