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Continue reading →: Still selling off the family silver
I thought governments had learnt from the economic disasters of the 1980s. Obviously not. Selling off British Rail piecemeal has done nothing for the travelling public, except put up fares and reduce services. The next mistake will be to privatise the property arm of Network Rail. In other words, the…
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Continue reading →: My Favourite Welshman
My favourite Welshman is not the Max Boyce Or even Tom Jones, despite his rich voice He’s not Richard Burton or Ivor Novello He’s not RS Thomas, a very fine fellow. No, my favourite Welshman is suitably tall His name is a mystery to no one at all He…
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Continue reading →: Rosie, old Rosie
I should not have surfed Amazon on a warm day with a thirst on. Their offer of 20 litres of Weston’s Old Rosie cloudy cider was just too tempting to resist. Free delivery was the clincher. It should be ideal for the next BBQ when we can all admire Liam’s…
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Continue reading →: Good Friday Agreement 20 Years on
If I Was Us, I Wouldn’t Start From Here by Damian Gorman Especially in a broken home like ours, Where broken floors and windows feed the cold, Each generation has a sacred task – To tell a better story than it was told. For we are reared by stories in…
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Continue reading →: Petty thief
We have a thief in the workplace. Not the typical purloiner of pens and pencils, but someone who steals our food from the communal kitchen. What would make a person steal food from their colleagues? I would willingly share my food if someone had none, but I like to be…
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Continue reading →: Rabbie Burns
On 25th January there will be celebrations across the world for one of the most celebrated Scottish poets, Robert Burns. In Belfast we will have various cultural events to honour this unconventional libertine whose words resonated with ordinary Scots… Ae fond kiss, and then we sever; Ae fareweel, alas, for ever!…
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Continue reading →: Cures for Love
…Good luck to any lover who likes loving; Let him rejoice and sail before the wind. But if some minx has got him in her clutches, Succour and safety in my art he’ll find. Why should a lover knot a noose and dangle Aloft from a high beam, a tragic…
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Continue reading →: Goldfinch
I have been putting off finishing Donna Tartt’s brilliant book, Goldfinch. Not because I was struggling with the rich language or complicated characters. That’s what makes the book a great read. It was the disappointment I knew I was facing when I had to say goodbye to Boris and Theo and finish…
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Continue reading →: Is it Ovid time again?
Repressive regimes are prevalent once again throughout the world. What is it about freedom that frightens those who live their lives shackled to order and strict regimens? Maybe that’s it – insecurity due to lack of empathy for those who take the unconventional paths, push boundaries and challenge dogma. Emperor…
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Continue reading →: Kitchen Aesthetics
Our kitchen is a mess, and I don’t just mean the usual clutter you might find in any bohemian kitchen. The arrangement of cupboards, the location of the oven and the choice of colour are not to our taste. We have lived with the irritating setup for about 15 years.…