Archive

31 Mar 2024You wouldn't understand
20 May 2023A confusing smorgasbord of antipathies
20 Oct 2020One way journey into history
13 Apr 2020Pigeons come home to roost
22 Oct 2018Why, oh why, am I puffed up like a balloon after my operation?
21 Oct 2018Brimming with possibility
2 Oct 2018Both breasty-dumplings
21 Mar 2017Springing surprises
20 Jan 2017Hang on to your hats
19 Jan 2017Return of the luddites
11 Jan 2017Changes are afoot
3 Jan 2017The BRCA1 prize in the genetics lottery
2 Jan 2017The inescapable grim reaper
28 Oct 2016All Prepped for All Hallows'
10 Oct 2016In the midst of misery
25 Sep 2016Google bait
18 Sep 2016Itching and scritching
26 Aug 2016Where am I now?
31 Oct 2015Having oodles of fun this Halloween !
31 Oct 2014Happy Halloween !
23 Jan 2013Hairs were sacrificed
7 Jan 2013Get out quick
3 Jan 2013XtraNormal
15 Nov 2012Strange how strange
11 Nov 2012Their today they gave
29 Oct 2012Flaying once more
12 Sep 2012Contagious commuters coughing
10 Aug 2012Cooped up
6 Aug 2012This is your life (the animation)
16 Jul 201260 years of separation
4 Jul 2012The rainbow race
3 Jun 2012Histrionics fade to history
29 Mar 2012Pop-tastic
15 Mar 2012Quite animated
20 Sep 2011Heartbroken at the loss of pie
14 Sep 2011Go stone age
21 Jul 2011Bigger strides into the galaxy
29 Jun 2011Kissed by the axe
21 Jun 2011Premonition of incipient nostalgia
11 Jun 2011Recall furiously failing
20 May 2011Batty baby birds
12 May 2011A respectful ending now of our relationship
9 May 2011Gnashing of teeth
3 May 2011Pantomime politics
2 May 2011Obama kills Osama
30 Apr 2011Surrealist cognitive dissonance
24 Apr 2011Crazy cross-species peeping tom
23 Apr 2011Do androids dream of electric sheep?
22 Apr 2011Mad Max kit
21 Apr 2011Scuppered
19 Apr 2011Stretch yawn faint
5 Apr 2011Scout's honour
30 Mar 2011Just got home
16 Mar 2011Did it fall or was it pushed?
9 Feb 2011All about the money
6 Feb 2011Rise, leap, move
1 Feb 2011Run, Harry, Run!
24 Jan 2011Folly laid bare
23 Jan 2011Bunk and twaddle
11 Jan 2011Poor motherless son
7 Jan 2011Out came the knives
6 Jan 2011Smell the internet
4 Jan 2011Portents and omens
1 Jan 2011Orange constellations
31 Dec 2010True lasting legacy
30 Dec 2010The whole truth
29 Dec 2010Mum
21 Dec 2010Crank the orrery on
19 Dec 2010Until I shed my coat
9 Dec 2010Accelerate back to earth
27 Nov 2010My arse
16 Nov 2010The spirit of panic buying
16 Nov 2010A blink reveals
16 Nov 2010No particular reason
15 Nov 2010The wrod as a wlohe
15 Nov 2010Getting what you pay for
11 Nov 2010Remembering the fallen
5 Nov 2010Like a muppet
31 Oct 2010818-PUMPKIN
30 Oct 2010Close cuts
28 Oct 2010Owl and the pussy-cat
26 Oct 2010Entirely arbitrary
23 Oct 2010Fade to blue
22 Oct 2010The late great
22 Oct 2010Lost to time
21 Oct 2010Long shot
20 Oct 2010Give a dog a home
16 Oct 2010Français Nouveau
14 Oct 2010Steampunk dream
14 Oct 2010Gone by unseen
9 Oct 2010Thin but shiny
4 Oct 2010Infiltrate the grey
27 Sep 2010Cautiously peeking out
26 Sep 2010Life defies
22 Sep 2010Ministry of Silly Walks
20 Sep 2010Anger squeezes out
17 Sep 2010Disengaging the conscious mind
11 Sep 2010A bleak situation
5 Sep 2010Stunned and empty
5 Sep 2010William Boynton Butler
5 Sep 2010Caught short
2 Sep 2010Forgive us our Twitters
2 Sep 2010Forgive us our Westminsters
2 Sep 2010Original impetus
1 Sep 2010Captain Duvet
1 Sep 2010Contrails
31 Aug 2010It might never happen
31 Aug 2010Giant haystacks
28 Aug 2010Blink of an eye
25 Aug 2010Devoid of meaning
23 Aug 2010Electronic inanities
23 Aug 2010A bit gusty
22 Aug 2010Mesmerising
21 Aug 2010Memory lane
18 Aug 2010Economically valueless
18 Aug 2010Curiously foreign
16 Aug 2010Blinking and breathing
11 Aug 2010The fringe of unremarkable
5 Aug 2010Lovly Jubbly
4 Aug 2010Cluck and coo
3 Aug 2010Eaten alive
2 Aug 2010Whmp, whmp, whmp
1 Aug 2010Flitting in and out
28 Jul 2010Rose
21 Jul 2010Ascendancy
20 Jul 2010Thump, rattle, and rustle
19 Jul 2010Adopt a languid pace
19 Jul 2010D1 NYL
17 Jul 2010An episode of 'The Jerry Springer Show'
16 Jul 2010The reality of my situation
16 Jul 2010In my sleep
14 Jul 2010Torrents of the wet stuff
9 Jul 2010More important priorities
5 Jul 2010Just "BE"
30 Jun 2010Exchange of courtesies
30 Jun 2010Boiling
29 Jun 2010Shambolic state
29 Jun 2010Gotcha
28 Jun 2010Mad dash
28 Jun 2010Swell and fade
23 Jun 2010Retreat
23 Jun 2010Perception filter
23 Jun 2010Approaching days
22 Jun 2010Knowing smile
21 Jun 2010Twitching periodically
21 Jun 2010Passing of time
16 Jun 2010Deaf ears
15 Jun 2010Quintessentially London
15 Jun 2010Sufficiently squishy
14 Jun 2010Flowers blur

Popular posts from this blog

Stretch yawn faint

Occasionally I'm overwhelmed with the urge to have a really good stretch, tensing my muscles until they tremble, tipping my head back and unleashing a full on yawn. Lately this is followed by a faint spell - the world goes distant, my vision fades, and everything gets a bit woozy. After a few breaths the world re-intrudes, and normality resumes. It hasn't concerned me, but after a particularly strong episode today my curiosity was peaked, and I typed 'stretch yawn faint' into Google (hallowed be thy results, for thine is the engine, the spider and the crawler) to see what cropped up. It turns out the combo of stretching and tipping the head back starves the brain of oxygen. The stretch lengthens the blood vessels causing a blood pressure drop, whilst it also creates demand for oxygen in the tensing muscles, and finally the head tip constricts an artery in the neck which cuts off the blood to the brain. I'm not sure how common it is in absolute terms, but the f...
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William Boynton Butler

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William Boynton Butler was my grandfather's oldest brother, fondly known as Uncle Willie by my branch of the family, and as Uncle Billie by his wife Clara's family. Sadly I never got the chance to meet him as he died before I was born. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for an extremely brave action during the First World War, shielding a passing troop of infantry from a mis-fired mortar round with his own body until they were safely past, risking being blown to pieces. I gather from family chatter that he was an unassuming man, somewhat embarrassed at the subsequent fuss, perhaps because his actions were an instinctive reaction to the situation, or perhaps because all the men who fought in that war risked their lives daily in the trenches, and many didn't survive. I've published a number of newspaper clippings and photographs collated by my aunt, along with his citation, army records, and a brief biography to our Family Tree . William Boynton Butler - Biography ...
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The odd sock that disappears

I'm on the train to London, sunshine and blue skies on the right, but to the left rain laden clouds threaten. The train cleaves down the middle. It would be a powerful metaphor for my path through life. The train travels through diverse landscapes: suburbia, city centres, industriana, villages, farmland. It is always the villages nestled in the countryside that inspire a longing. Life would be good living there I imagine. The picture perfect setting would engender a similarly tranquil mental landscape where I could be at peace. It is a common enough urge I suppose - to move away and leave troubles behind. Of course the one thing we take with us where ever we go is ourselves, and it is naïve to suppose that we can leave all our baggage behind. I guess I have the full matching six piece set of Louis Vuitton luggage by now. For all my journeys I've never yet had any go missing in transit. Some of the contents have shrunk in the wash, and of course there is always the odd sock that...
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