Uncategorized

A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines

I posted this in the book review section, but on re-reading it, I though it was perhaps as much about my experience as the book and film. It is cetainly relevant to an Uncle of mine.

A Kestrel for a Knave was written by Barry Hines; a writer who originates from a South Yorkshire mining village. It is based upon the stories and events that Hines came across through his childhood in the 1950s and 60s.

Billy Caspar is a lad ...

It is 31 years since I failed, retook and passed my O’Level Maths as a bemused 16 year old who had little idea, beyond the narrow calculations of my experience, about the world and its machinations. I did as little Maths as possible at the time, avoiding it at home, and dreading double maths on a Thursday afternoon. As a young teen I little appreciated that it takes effort to improve in anything worthwhile.

I did get a big clue about learning in those years. A friend, who was pretty ...

Our library in town has a sepia look. I don’t know if this betokens some future consignment to history, like some photo relic of past times, but it is certainly the pervading colour, and libraries may well radically change in this digital age. Who can tell?

The light brown carpet, and light brown walls certainly conspire to a kind of tan calm of visual deprivation. I suppose you don’t really want a vibrant jazz for fear of waking the sleeping odd people that hang around these warm ...

...as Timothy Leary almost said, yet today I just hoped that the old Auntie would be able to do just that.

The Old Auntie, who claims she is 82, had to give me her date of birth today when I was phoning up the Digital Switchover people to confirm when the engineer was coming to fit the new free Freeview digital box. (People over 75 get a free box and free fitting as the country goes completely digital). “1922” she said. I made no comment on that, but was able to confirm that the ...

I’ve been down to the allotment today, and I took my wife’s portable DAB radio. It’s great, though it doesn’t work at our house as it’s a signal dead zone. (So my wife can’t use it!). It works everywhere else though, so I duly tuned in to Planet Rock.

I like rock music, though I was never a rocker, have never ridden a motorbike, I’ve never been wanted nor have I worn black leather. (I did once have a brown leather jacket that a friend gave ...