The Alpine pop man – For decades an extinct species akin to the dodo, Spangles and an inspirational politician. Sadly, no longer cheering up the homo sapien fledgling young with his bottled soft beverages; drinks whose sugar content was so high just pouring it from the bottle started the process of tooth rot. His crates…
Month: March 2019
Four Candles, Please
The 1972 Miners’ Strike introduced me, along with the rest of the UK populous of that time, to the joys of power cuts. Not to mention more frequent use of the query “Has anyone seen that box of matches?!” January and February’s frequent electricity shortages, caused by the Central Electricity Generating Board’s fuel saving strategy, hit…
Defiling That Chaste Page
“That famous writer’s block is a myth as far as I’m concerned. I think bad writers must have a great difficulty writing. … They have become writers out of reasons of ambition. It must be a great strain to them to make marks on a page when they really have nothing much to say, and…
Angel Contemplating My Fate
Recently, I’ve felt moved to pen a few unreliable memories from my upbringing on Low Fell. The Gateshead borough which on its southern border, shared with Low Eighton and Birtley, resides one of the countries most iconic sculptures, the Angel of the North. When I left my parent’s three bedroom semi-detached home on Dorchester Gardens in 1987…
Shape Of My Heart
As I write I’m sitting in the entrance waiting room of Leeds General Infirmary’s (LGI) Jubilee Wing. Accompanied by my wife Karen, yours truly indulges in the addictive pastime of people watching. The ‘entertainment’ provided by scores of individuals oblivious to my surreptitious surveillance techniques – Some plying their trade within the chambers of this…
Shush!!!
As I recall, the Low Fell library was built-in the early 1970’s. Progress of its construction at the corner of Durham Road and Chowdene Bank something I witnessed during games of football on adjacent grassland on the cusp of a small dene. A near neighbour of the Thomas Wilson WMC. A club I’m told was…
Darling Happy Anniversary!
My website provider WordPress this morning reminded me today is this 4th anniversary of me setting up my website writesaidfred.org . A domain I created for the purpose of sharing the blogs I’d commenced writing at that juncture of my life. Outlets from the more challenging aspects of my life, including my wife’s incurable cancer…
A Latter Day 18-30 Club?
On Saturday I heard a statistic that in 2018 more people applied to participate on TV reality show Love Island (UK version) than did to attend a university. A fact yours truly wishes I could say surprised me. Blindsided me as it entered my conscious mind, prior to wandering off to be filed under a…
Loathsome Legacy
When it comes to environmental protests yours truly’s never been one to raise my head above the parapet. During many scores of hours I’ve undertaken voluntary work in the last few years, not one second of time or penny collected has been towards preserving the Earth’s ecosystem. Not a conscious decision on my part, moreover…