Who knows?

Who knows what scientific or technical breakthroughs lie ahead to tackle problems to which we cannot see an easy solution? Read on….
Tennis and its Beckenham heyday

Beckenham Lawn Tennis Club is different from thousands of others around the UK in one respect. For over a century its annual tournament attracted the finest players in the world because it fell just before Wimbledon fortnight….
The Venetian conundrum

For as long as I can remember – which, believe me, is a very long time – the chaps who run Venice have been wrestling with a problem….
A foxy tale: in the garden and in government

Though I do my utmost to give it the benefit of the doubt, I can’t help feeling that, for reasons best known to itself, the Government is determined to make a total dog’s breakfast of our emergence from the Covid pandemic – sacrificing the travel industry in the process….
Conspiracy theory

When scientists speculated whether pangolins or bats were the source, I was inclined to listen, knowing the Chinese propensity for eating anything with a pulse….
Royal Air Batley

As a consequence of Tracy Brabin’s election as Mayor of West Yorkshire, a by-election is to take place in the Batley and Spen constituency, of which the Batley-born actress and writer was MP….
The way ahead

As far as foreign holidays are concerned, we are in a tangled and complicated place, with talk of ‘vaccine passports’, ‘travel corridors’ and destinations designated red, amber, or green….
Draco

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what was going on in Athens around 622 0r 621 BC. Specifically about a chap named Draco. And that familiar warning about being careful what you wish for….
“Events, dear boy, events”

“Events, dear boy, events” – I’m sure you recognise that quotation. It is supposed to have come from Harold Macmillan, when he was asked what would most influence his Government’s policy and conduct….
Oscar Friedman

I’ve been rummaging around in the attic, looking for newspaper cuttings, photographs and other memorabilia in connection with a memoir I am writing….
A shot in the arm

Having just received my first vaccination (which I’ll get back to in a moment), that belief is strengthened. It had already received a boost by newspaper reports that ‘optimistic over-50s’ were rushing to book summer holidays both at home and abroad….
The year that was 2020

Whether 2020 was the last year of one decade, or the first year of another is, frankly, beside the point – though I happen to favour the second option….