Category Archives: Britain now & then

Moon over the meanygates

Posted on December 31, 2014 by memoirsofahusk

Dark clods of earth, like sticky remnants of Christmas pudding,* form ragged ridges over deep, ice-filled ruts. What once were puddles, ruffled by angry winds, now double as skating rinks – for voles and weasels, mice and stoats. A wintry, … Continue reading →

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Seagulls’ wings, the Snow Queen and a musical time machine

Posted on December 24, 2014 by memoirsofahusk

High wind. The seagulls riding it like rodeo stars, their wings ‘like parentheses drawn in the sky’. I’m hearing a song in my head. ‘Listen to the oh-shun, echoes of a million seashells …’ I’m back, for an instant, in … Continue reading →

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What price downmarket pizza?

Posted on December 9, 2014 by memoirsofahusk

In a (downmarket) supermarket the other day I overheard a comment which shamed me. It shamed me because I have the luxury of being a person of extremes when it comes to shopping for food. Now and again, anyway. Most … Continue reading →

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The Queen and I

Posted on November 19, 2014 by memoirsofahusk

I can’t imagine we have much in common, her majesty and I. Other than being British. What with me being a commoner and Catholic and all. My sister’s called Elizabeth – that’s a kind of connection. Tenuous, I know. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, jaunts & going out, Britain now & then, Lancashire & the golf coast | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Sacrifice

Posted on November 10, 2014 by memoirsofahusk

Tonight could be emotional. I grab a handful of tissues, stuff them in my bag. Braving twenty-seven sets of traffic lights, we drive into Liverpool. Stow our car in the warm space beneath the circular cathedral. Choose seats on one … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, jaunts & going out, Britain now & then, Lancashire & the golf coast, Liverpool, Thinking, or ranting, or both | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Of tinkers, magic – and the perils of mixing grape and chain.

Posted on October 28, 2014 by memoirsofahusk

I’m holding a small piece of black plastic with a hole at the top, like a short, fat, dysfunctional needle. Or a midget-sized witch’s magic wand. I waft the holey end in front of a little light and – abracadabra … Continue reading →

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Temples, ruins and too much information

Posted on October 17, 2014 by memoirsofahusk

Monasteries, abbeys, priories – they never look so good as when they’re ruined, don’t you think? I spent many a childhood holiday trotting behind a father who was batty about architecture. Grand houses decked out in precious furniture and china … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, jaunts & going out, Yorkshire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments