Argiope Bruennichi

I hope it won’t be too boring if I tell you a bit more about my stroll along the Suffolk coast.

Royal Salute

Quite rightly the media have been generous in ladling out big helpings of praise for the Queen this week. An Italian friend and reader here expressed surprise that I had not added a dollop. The only reason was that – until now – I could not think of anything to add.

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”.

Croquet Special

Today dawns in East Anglia with expectation, even excitement, hanging in the air. My illustration is an inadequate attempt to capture the mood. It is the occasion of the annual Late Summer Luncheon for members of the Norfolk County Lawn Croquet Society.

A Grave Matter

On Sunday I went to check up on the family plot in Mortlake. It was last used in 1935 when Uncle G (my grandfather’s uncle, George Leopold Bryan, later Bellew), was buried there and again in 1940 by my great-grandfather’s second wife.

Lord Dundonald

I have been to Westminster Abbey twice and both visits were for memorial services; Lord Hailsham and Dame Joan Sutherland.  A few days ago I paid a third visit, as a tourist.

A Spy in the Family

In the 1980s I was introduced to Patrick O’Brian’s novels about Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin (it’s curious that the series does not have a title). Like so many others, I became hooked on the detailed descriptions of life on board a Royal Navy ship in the early years of the 19th century. The depth… Continue reading A Spy in the Family