September 17, 2006
Henrietta
It's cranefly season, and this summer, there is an unusual number of them. Every night, John opens his bedroom window with the lights on (and the doors closed). He feeds the craneflies he catches to the spider that has set...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:44 PM |
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September 12, 2006
Er...that's it.
For now at least. Until the end of November, I will focus mainly on fiction writing. I have one story to polish and submit to a professional market, another ditto for an unpaying (but prestigious) website, a third for the...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:33 PM |
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September 02, 2006
Magic Sunday at the Reading Festival
It's nearly a week ago now, but it feels much longer. Perhaps this is because of the dreamlike quality of he day. Odd to think that in my 41 years, I've never been to a major rock festival before....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 09:15 PM |
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Citizenship pipedreams: again
I got a cold at the Reading festival. This has set me back a few days and I haven't been able to blog much, even when Tony Blair came up with probably the first of his senile-politician-waiting-to-be-kicked-out-of-office proposals the other...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:56 PM |
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August 24, 2006
I'm back...
...and the Greenland write-up will resume tomorrow. All my photos have now been uploaded to Flickr (much quicker from home) and I'm in the process of sorting them. On a disappointed note: I spoiled the film in the Nokia when...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:29 PM |
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August 07, 2006
Untapped talent
From early morning to early evening, Radio One plays the same songs in a seemingly endless loop. The digital radio selection in Greater Tadley is no better (with the possible exception of One Xtra, but they keep blowing a foghorn...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:57 PM |
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August 03, 2006
Karate-Woe
There is a fair amount of infighting going on the organisation John and I joined last week. However, that is nothing new. Of course we would have liked to stay with our old organisation (and preferably with our old club)...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:20 PM |
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July 28, 2006
When the Karateka doesn't come to the Dojo...
Note: Closed for comments due to spambot-activity It's still hot and sunny outside and for days I found excuses not to work on my rewrite. Yesterday, finally, some phrases popped into my brain, so I ran upstairs and wrote for...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:54 PM |
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July 10, 2006
One Morning in July...
Pics were taken with my little toy-spy camera They all gathered. Young and old, Cold War veterans and the new generation of peace protesters—even a contingent of Buddhist monks. By the time I arrived at our friendly Neighbourhood Atomic Weapons...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 01:25 PM |
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July 07, 2006
Aldermaston Action (again)
Things concerning our Friendly Neighborhood Atomic weapons Establishment are hotting up. During a recent dinner at the Mansion House (rather than, say, a session in parliament), Prime-Minister-to-be Gordon Brown announced that he will definitely look into options to replace Trident....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:29 PM |
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June 10, 2006
Land of Excuses
I didn't miss much when we went shopping during England's opener against Paraguay. Before that match even went into injury time—when I thought Paraguay might just equalise, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the commentators did too—the excuses were...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:25 PM |
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June 06, 2006
Water Woes
Now that the country has been 'sveltering' four days in a row (well, the temperature is in the double figures), after suffering the wettest May in 27 years, the media are resuming their publicity drive to draw attention to the...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:00 PM |
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May 24, 2006
English Summer (2)
When I peeled myself out of bed this morning and staggered to the shop across the road to buy some milk, it was sunny. So I bought some olives and tuna as well and put on eggs and beans to...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 01:18 PM
May 23, 2006
Re. Big Brother...
...So much for first impressions. From this year's selection it is apparent that the producers thought it hilarious to put mentally ill people on the show. I, for one, ain't laughing....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 06:56 PM |
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May 19, 2006
Big Brother, we're watching you.
Yes, I think I can't resist, as every summer—for the seventh time—the Big Brother circus rolls into town. Resistance is futile. Almost everyone I know finds themselves gradually dragged in by the series, so I decided to give in and...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 06:15 PM |
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May 16, 2006
The Draught
If you think that England is a country in North Africa, you would be fogiven. Yesterday, the first Draught orders since 1977 went out to a region just east from Tadley. We haven't seen the sun in two days. It...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 11:32 AM |
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May 05, 2006
Sunny Days are here again
Girls in string tops and children in splash pools would dominate the headlines today, if it wasn't for a major government reshuffle. Yet, I'm surprised that the weather wasn't a main item on the news last night: "-- band of...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 06:50 PM |
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February 23, 2006
Winter in the UK
So it is grey outside, colder than a fridge, there are no leaves on the trees and wet sleet is falling from the sky. So I've had a sore throat since getting back and feel drained of all energy. It's...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:30 PM |
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February 18, 2006
England Culture Shock
The children here are so pale that it gives me a stab to the heart every time I look at them—until I remember that this is normal for England in winter time. It is strange to be back. I've started...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:00 PM |
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November 26, 2005
Belated Birthday Prezzi
OK, so it's not about travel, but still. Look what landed in my mailbox on Nov. 24th: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 24 November 2005 ----------------------------- Anti-nuclear campaigners cheer local councillors ----------------------------- Anti-nuclear campaigners cheered local West Berkshire councillors last night, as...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:22 PM |
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November 16, 2005
Can we have a new laser facility--pretty please??
The council has sent me a surprise letter re. the Eastern Area Planning Committee meeting on 23rd November when the small matter of the Replacement Laser Facility (Orion) at our Friendly Neighbourhood Atomic Weapons Establishment will be discussed. As with...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:27 PM |
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November 06, 2005
With a Bang
Funny how customs change as you move a little down the road. Guy Fawke's Night is not celebrated in Scotland; if anything people there mourn the fact that the good Guy's gunpowder plot did not succeeed. Here in England it's...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:33 PM |
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October 29, 2005
Missing Hedgehog
There's no sign of Sonic. Sure, the catfood has disappeared, but the neighbourhood cat looked a bit smug in the morning and there's no telling who the lucky recipient was. You can smell the stuff from two blocks away; there'd...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:27 PM |
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October 27, 2005
Prickly Visitor
This morning, when I pulled back the heavy curtains from the double-glazed sliding doors facing the garden, I saw a grey, blurry blob moving alongside the wall; quite slowly but with an implied sense of urgency. I squinted: it could...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:27 PM |
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October 17, 2005
Glorious Autum
This weekend the grey clouds lifted for two days of glorious sunshine, just in time for my sister and her squeeze to finally visit us. "Let's go for a walk," she beamed. Oh no! The heath is pleasant enough but...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 01:15 PM |
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September 15, 2005
Time of Reckoning
Confidence is supposed to increase with age and experience, but this is just not true. I have received a letter inviting me to speak [against] the planned developments at our Friendly Neighbourhood Atomic Weapons Establishment which has applied to build...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 06:13 PM |
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August 24, 2005
Bright Lights of London
One often-cited advantage of living in London is the proximity of theatres and museums and the many cultural events that take place "on our doorstep", but for all the yeas that we have lived in the capital this has never...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:53 PM |
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August 19, 2005
The Sound of Music
It's a day of housework in preparation for a belated summer visit to Borth. We are not lucky with the weather: the rain has driven me out of the garden where I have effectively lived during the last three days...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 12:22 PM |
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August 10, 2005
Letter from the New Hood
We now live in a Seventies-style house with a palatial open-plan lounge facing out over a two-tier garden through double glazed sliding doors. By rights, this would be a place for children. It is also the first place we inhabited...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:19 PM |
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August 03, 2005
Block the Builders -- Hiroshima Anniversary
Monday the 8th of August marks the 60th anniversary of the bombimg of Hiroshima. This is also the week that planning permission has been sought by our Friendly Neighbourhood Atomic Weapons Establishment for further building work to enable the development...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 12:26 PM |
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July 31, 2005
How many designers does it take to change a lightbulb?
I mean this quite literally. Who hasn't come across one of these modern ceiling lights where changing a lightbulb involves a major exercise in deconstruction? It's the same with windows. All windows appear to be designed by men who have...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:39 PM |
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July 05, 2005
On the move again (1)
Predictably, the time has come to move yet again and, predictably, it isn't to sunny Brisbane or vibrant London. Our Landlady wants to put the house back on the market and I for one am not sorry to see it...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:10 PM |
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June 30, 2005
English Summer (1)
Our six-day-summer came to an end with the deluge that flooded Glastonbury along with large parts of central England last Friday and cut power to 35000 homes in the Manchester area. Yesterday, between downpours and with the distant rumble of...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 12:43 PM |
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June 03, 2005
ˇPasaron!
I have been feeling like shit for the last couple of days. On the day of the blockade, I peeled myself out of bed at 6 am with the intention to go straight back to sleep when it was over...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:31 PM |
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May 29, 2005
ˇNo pasarán!
Yep, another blockade has been called for Tuesday. Last Friday we spotted a small components convoy on their way to either Aldermaston or Burghfield and I emailed Nukewatch, a network of dedicated people who keep a constant outlook for nuclear...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:41 PM |
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May 16, 2005
Aftermath of the Blockade
Just caught up with the Basingstoke Gazette that flutters through our letterbox twice a week. I was pleased that the recent blockade at AWE was mentioned, although the article was very succinct. A journalist was present at the site for...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 06:34 PM |
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May 09, 2005
They Shall Not Pass! (2)
I know democracy is not just about voting. In fact most of it isn't about voting. It is about engaging the government in dialogue, about debate, about protest. This week, delegates from the 187 signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:19 PM |
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May 05, 2005
They Shall Not Pass
There will be a blockade at our friendly neighbourhood Atomic Weapons Eastablishment on Monday 9th May and all I can think about is that I can't go to jail because I have booked a ticket on the Wednesday ferry to...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:43 PM |
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May 03, 2005
The Hitchhiker's Guide
Yesterday we went to see the long-awaited movie of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', a film that took so long to get made that Douglas Adams once said it was like trying to cook a steak by having people...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 04:21 PM |
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March 30, 2005
Sitting on the Fence
So here I am, sitting on the fence. I mean not literally, although some of the seventy-odd peace activists have scrambled up the mesh fence that marks the outermost ring of AWEs formidable defenses (the police don't take notice, they...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:36 PM |
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March 26, 2005
Easter Protest
"It is as if the politicians are still operating in a parallel universe where natural laws do not apply. They would never dare to deal with fiscal meltdown in the same cavalier manner." (Editorial, New Scientist 26th March) The Editorial...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:08 PM |
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March 21, 2005
The Calcutta Cup Match
THE CALCUTTA CUP PRESENTED TO THE RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION BY THE CALCUTTA FOOTBALL CLUB AS AN INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE CUP TO BE PLAYED FOR ANNUALLY BY ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND 1878 (Inscription at the base)...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:22 PM |
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February 21, 2005
Tadley Tidbits
Conservation in the pub on Friday night: Man at Bar: "From listening to you I'd reckon you are European." "Wow..." I pondered this for a while, looked around, shrugged and added: "Aren't we all?" Shocked silence. The man looked at...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 07:13 PM |
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February 14, 2005
Tadley Twilight Zone
I have had my suspicions that we have moved to an alternative universe for some time now, but it gets weirder by the day....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 08:55 PM |
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January 23, 2005
Sunny Skies
I have noticed a strange phenomenon. Occasionally, when I wake up in the morning, golden light streams through the windows and the sky is a strange eggshell blue. It is sunny—in January! Apparently here in the South of England only...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:16 PM |
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January 21, 2005
Invasion of the Green Caterpillars
At first, the only signs of past life in the house were the papery, dried-out carcasses of flies on the windowsills, but now the place is gradually being recolonized by local wildlife. Yesterday I spotted a woodlouse crawl slowly across...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:18 PM |
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The Enforcers
The TV licensing people in this country are nasty and vicious people who should have been out of a job by the time ITV was introduced—although I have little doubt that they will go on to find gainful employment as...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 02:12 PM |
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January 04, 2005
2004: a local review
The final edition of the Basingstoke Observer, picked up at Sainsbury's, carried a review of local events in 2004—"the year of living dangerously". Among accounts of vandalism, post office closures, rottweiler attacks, anti-nuclear protests and the (mis-)fortunes of Basingstoke's seemingly...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:28 PM |
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January 02, 2005
AWE (Greetings from your Friendly Neighbourhood Atomic Weapons Establishment)
As we stepped through the door of our new home, we were greeted by a local freesheet that had plopped through the letterbox: the 'AWE Community Link'....Read this update
Posted by Denni at 03:41 PM |
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December 26, 2004
Merry Christmas after all
'Christmas happens, no matter what. —I might as well roll with it.' These were my thoughts as I placed the last remaining frozen Free Range Norfolk Goose into our shopping trolley. It was the night before Christmas Eve, just enough...Read this update
Posted by Denni at 05:44 PM |
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