12 July 2020

Pedal power: what a difference a [day] bike makes

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LITTLE wonder it is called a freedom machine. One that becomes more and more so as the years (and miles) roll by. I refer, of course, to that two-wheeled wonder, the bicycle. Thanks to the recent addition of electrical power,  it is now a pleasure that even ancient limbs can continue to enjoy. It has… Continue Reading

12 July 2020

Pedal power: what a difference a [day] bike makes

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LITTLE wonder it is called a freedom machine. One that becomes more and more so as the years (and miles) roll by. I refer, of course, to that two-wheeled wonder, the bicycle. Thanks to the recent addition of electrical power,  it is now a pleasure that even ancient limbs can continue to enjoy. It has… Continue Reading

29 May 2020

Even humble hummus can become too much to bear

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IT appears that waste is good. More than that, it is to be encouraged rather than discouraged, despite the extent to which it is universally decried. This is proved time and again on my regular excursions to buy the necessities of life. The recent panic buying epidemic – caused by an even greater pandemic –… Continue Reading

22 May 2020

Relief! We can once again buy knickers and bras

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WITHOUT fanfare my local M&S has today reopened its ground floor clothing, cosmetics and sundry items section. No shouty newspaper or TV campaigns. Almost a whisper; a soft opening as similar cautious events are described. Yet hardly had the doors slid open to provide access to its Food Hall than the other racks of non-essentials… Continue Reading

2 May 2020

Cure needed for pandemic’s verbal virus

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The lexicographers are working overtime. New words are being coined, reviewed and added to dictionaries worldwide almost daily. It seems there’s nothing like disasters and pandemics to send the spin doctors into a frenzy of creativity as they try to find ways of cloaking and minimising what is actually happening. Plain speaking is avoided at… Continue Reading

29 April 2020

A taut, twisting and tantalising time with the Perfect Wife

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For once I can use the phrase “a true page turner” with utter conviction. And happily add the clumsier “unputdownable”. This novel fully merits both descriptions. And though I am not one of those speed readers who can zip through a book in a single session, I was close to achieving that feat on this… Continue Reading

29 November 2019

Simple pleasures of a plate of sprats

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It is sprats for dinner tonight. How many years has it been since I heard those words? Far too many, sad to say. Such a simple pleasure, and so damned tasty too. And healthy as well, for we are now frequently told that oily fish should be a regular part of our diet – information… Continue Reading

27 November 2019

Listening to the body

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THE human body is a wonderful thing, but it does have a mind of its own. A mind that overrides opposition, one that will rarely accept deviation from the course it has set itself upon. And thus it was at precisely 2.53 pm today that it made an unheralded announcement: a truce would be called… Continue Reading

4 June 2019

All you need to know about a (M&S) cucumber

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ON a day when Waitrose announced it was following a move at least partially made by other supermarkets, it was intriguing to discover how dear old fuddy-duddy M&S was faring. So, in the interests of research (are there other reasons for favouring this pricey purveyor?), I bought a cucumber from the M&S Food Hall (such… Continue Reading

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