Chippy Jazz and Music Festival turned the town centre into the sound of music on September 30, with pubs, cafes and bars all joining together in providing warm day-long venues for a wealth of musical talent. Focused on jazz in all its forms, there were also the sounds of gospel and folk, and local schools [...]
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‘PORTRAIT OF CHIPPING NORTON’ ON SALE
Here’s the cover of my latest book, ‘Portrait of Chipping Norton.’ It’s available from today as an eBook for your laptop and desktop computers, for iPad and other tablets. It’s even viewable on iPhone and other smart phones. You like good old printed books? That’s covered too, as you can order a personalised printed version, [...]
65-GUN BLUE SAPPHIRE WEDDING ANNIVERSARY SALUTE FOR QUEEN ELIZABETH II
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary today – the so-called ‘Blue Sapphire’ – as they mark another important day in 2012, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year. Believe it or not, the Queen and Prince Philip are joined this year by around 2000 or so other 65th-anniversary couples across the [...]
WITCHES IN CHAINS AT THE HAWK STONE
A lunchtime chat with a friend had me tracking down an ancient monument called the Hawk Stone, near Dean, the hamlet where British Prime Minister David Cameron lives. My Ordnance Survey map showed the Hawk Stone to be off an adjacent country lane, perhaps in a field or next to a public footpath, and that’s [...]
NOVEMBER IS ‘WIND MONTH’
In the days when Anglo-Saxons ruled England, November was known as ‘Wint-monath’ or wind-month, as this was when the first serious winter storms started, ushering in a period reckoned to last until signs of spring in March. For pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons, an important November custom was lighting huge open-air fires to honour their gods and drive [...]
GOLDEN LEAVES, AMAZING SKIES
It’s mid-November and the leaves begrudgingly leave the branches here in the Cotswolds. Exposed trees are already bare for winter, but in sheltered spots, there are still plenty to fall, allowing for a beautiful mix of russet-gold ground carpet, roofed by a canopy of living green. These pictures were taken on the road to Over [...]
REMEMBERING THE FALLEN ON ARMISTICE DAY
In Chipping Norton, the town centre has become a field of knitted poppies, a touching and highly visible Remembrance Day memorial by a mystery knitter – well done and thank you. Remembrance Day (also known as Armistice Day, Poppy Day and in the US, Veterans Day) has been observed since the end of World War I to [...]
THE TCHURE: IS IT AN ALLEYWAY? OR SOMETHING WORSE?
‘Tchure’… I hadn’t run across this weird word until I visited the village of Deddington, a few miles south of Banbury. It’s a pretty little place, with shops, pubs and cafes clustered around a green – and a few minutes walk away, the remains of an ancient castle. The tchure of Deddington links a footpath [...]
ONION BHAJI IN DEDDINGTON
I’d been previously to Deddington’s splendid foodfest market, where I had sampled the delights of very ‘unEnglish’ onion bhajis, deep-fried in a huge cauldron for me by a Moroccan smallholder. Recipe to come, I assure you – it was food for a king. My last visit to Deddington was to track down a spare for [...]
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RE-ELECTION PRESIDENT OBAMA – AND A REMINDER OF LINKS BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES
During World War II, eastern England was effectively a giant ‘aircraft carrier’ for the Allied invasion of Europe. And one of the best ways to get a feel of what was involved is to make a visit to Imperial War Museum Duxford, based a few miles south of the famed university town of Cambridge. In [...]
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A GYPSY CARAVAN FOR SALE IN THE ENGLISH COTSWOLDS
- A few sketches!
- POOHSTICKS: A GAME BORN AT THE HOUSE OF POOH CORNER
- INTERNATIONAL POOHSTICKS COMPETITION ON THE RIVER THAMES, NEAR DORCHESTER
- Source of the Thames
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