Stories

Mignon

Grandma had a red headed sister called Maggie, who married Samuel Barr, - he who was said to have died in the DT’s. Be that as it may, between them they produced seven... › more

Bollards

I finally passed Maths I in 1949 at the fourth attempt. I don’t know why I kept on at it for I was never very fond of maths. I suppose that after each failed attempt I... › more

Grand Pacific

I recently saw again the Grand Pacific Hotel, languishing after ten years of neglect, with green algae growing up its once immaculate walls, and bidding fair to meet up with the... › more

War in the Desert

They must have gathered him up off the battlefield with a rake and a sugarbag. He was scarred pretty well everywhere, either from the seams where they’d sewed him together... › more

A Road to Damascus Experience

The road north from Damascus runs parallel to a long line of dry cliffs where the Antilebanon drops down from the Lebanese plateau to the Syrian plain, which must once have been... › more

Encounter

Forty years on and she was still just as beautiful. Older of course, but remarkably unchanged by the years, and not a fraction less beautiful. The same wavy blonde hair... › more

Cast the First Stone

Most kids were a lot better at throwing stones than me. When they threw a stone it went hard and straight and pretty much to where they wanted it to. They could hit the cups on... › more

Moscow

The young fellow who came to us in the morning to ask if we would like a tour of the city was tall and blond, and smartly dressed in a well cut suit, whose jacket had however... › more

Pen and Ink

Primary education up till the 1960’s was largely concerned with mastery of the pen and ink, and we made some monumental messes. When I first went to school in 1934... › more

Picnics

Picnics as I think of them are a kids’ thing and mainly a family thing, though of course there are school picnics, and Sunday school picnics, and staff picnics. I suppose... › more