Back to the Seventies

The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) greeted the audience arriving at the Royal College of Music on Thursday evening to hear Mozart’s 24th Piano Concerto and Richard Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony.

A Good Conversion

These two houses in Margravine Gardens, built in 1890, were rather dilapidated until recently. Now they have had basement extensions, been converted into flats and look smart.

Crossing the Line

Reggie was good company yesterday morning. We walked from his home in Parsons Green across Putney Bridge and then up the river to Richmond. Except for a short stretch at Barnes he was off the lead until we got to Richmond.

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Categorised as History

A Gentleman of Leisure

There are 1,321 boys at Eton and 821 at Harrow. Of course this fluctuates as boys come and go, sometimes under a cloud. Even after allowing for the greater number of Old Etonians it is apparent that the number of fictional Old Etonians exceeds fictional Old Harrovians by a big margin.

The Golden Bottle

Mrs Hudson came in without knocking while I was having forty winks. I awoke to hear Holmes expostulating “Dear Mrs H, please desist from wipin’ your hands on your apron – so common”. I knew that her intrusion must be warranted.

High Rise Rubbish

I walked from Barons Court to Southwark Bridge on Thursday morning (two hours). It was a sunny day and snowdrops and crocuses were out in the parks.

York Scratchings

During WWII the domestic staff employed by the Dorrien-Smiths on Tresco were diverted into war work. The family have leased the island from the Duchy of Cornwall since 1834. The Mrs D-S of the day was asked if this wasn’t rather inconvenient. Not at all she said, I dress up in the maid’s uniform and… Continue reading York Scratchings

Holland Park

Lord Holland joins us today because of my invitation to lunch on Tuesday. Don’t be silly, he din’t ask me, he died in 1840. But here’s a clue; before lunch we walked around Holland Park.