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Continue reading →: Broadside News sung
Manchester Floods – Ballad published 13 July 1872 The thunder rolled, the lightning flashed, The rain came pouring down, And soon the rivers were swollen In country and in town. Still on the mighty water came Where lay the silent dead And soon alas! the coffins were Uplifted from their…
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Continue reading →: Books and Stuff
I am finding it hard to get back into reading on a daily basis. My brain has been fried for one reason or another, that I won’t bore you with, and when my head hits the pillow I’m asleep. Bedtime would usually be my reading time, but when I’m in…
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Continue reading →: Culture
Was it il Duce who said that whenever he heard the word ‘culture’ he reached for his revolver? What is the meaning of culture? Is it “that which is excellent in the arts, manners, etc.”? (a definition gleaned from dictionary.com). Excellence is hard to achieve and requires work. Manners, on…
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Continue reading →: If music be the food of love…
There’s too much music. People can’t walk down the street without headphones and pubs think every area, indoors and out, has to be awash with sound. The quiet appreciation of good music is a rarity. Mostly music is experienced in noisy surroundings, or else the bass is so loud that…
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Continue reading →: Permission to be still… or trap the monster
I have just started a new MOOC – Literature and Mental Health presented by the University of Warwick. The above contains soundbites from some celebrity contributors. Firstly, the notion that a book gives you permission to be still and contemplative, and secondly that writing with a beautiful style about something…
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Continue reading →: Numinous
It’s autumn and the leaves are turning from shades of green to browns and oranges. The days are shortening and the Black Mountain in Belfast has low clouds hanging off the summit rolling down its flanks. Is this ‘numinous’? It all depends on your point of view. For me there is…
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Continue reading →: OCD
There may be the odd person who has noticed a slight change in my demeanour. There is an edginess that indicates all is not zen. Could it be the approach of another academic year and a huge surge in the workload? No, it is a compulsion both irrational and yet somehow…
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Continue reading →: Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
My niece’s wedding was beautiful. The bride looked amazing as did her entourage. A character called George was central to the occasion and featured in a speech made by the groom’s grandfather. The church service had just the right amount of informality to put everyone at their ease and celebrate the…
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Continue reading →: Ulster vs Dragons
I will be going to watch Ulster play the Newport Gwent Dragons in the Pro12 this evening with my youngest son. It will be a good excuse for a few pints, some loud cheering and meet up with some fellow Ulster fans at the ground. Our new full back, Charles Piutau…
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