We are in autumnal September now; it was a perfect time for us to visit the Cotswold area last weekend, which is a place I haven’t been since I was in my early twenties. The sun shone and the sky was a light blue; the fields were decked in harvest colours and the honeyed colour … Read more
My essay about Francis Hutcheson has been printed as a booklet by the Reclaim the Enlightenment group in Belfast and I’m pretty pleased. Ever since I read Damian Smyth’s seminal Fortnight supplement in 1992, I’ve been fascinated by the man. That’s thirty years of reading his work, undertaking talks about him, arguing his relevance and … Read more
It’s time to head home for a while and maybe visit the grave of Archibald Warwick though my mum can no longer accompany me. 21st July 2021 On Friday next we’re heading up the M1 from St Albans – that’s me, Victoria and an Airedale terrier pup named Hugo. We should arrive in the English … Read more
It’s June and there’s a heatwave here, or at least what would definitely be named for a heatwave back home in Northern Ireland, given that the temperature is 24 degrees centigrade. I am prompted on hot days like this to consider how different the weather is in Hertfordshire from summer conditions in Ireland. In May, everyone … Read more
May 20th sees my mother’s birthday, which was in the year 1926 to be exact. She passed away on 7th January 2012 in the middle of the night. I can still recall finding her half in and half out of bed and realising from her immobility and pallor that she had gone. In truth she … Read more
Mid-April has arrived and I am pleased to report that my short play for Ards and North Down Council, called Stretch out the Hand, has been recorded, with Glenn McGivern and Christine Clarke in the key roles. It was shown on three occasions, a couple of weeks ago, on-line. This was followed up each evening by discussion … Read more
The 1st day of March has arrived and it’s sunny if cold where I live. Spring seems to be properly on its way at last and the doggy is old and big enough now to go for extended walks on a long lead in the nearby park where he can water the clumps of daffodils … Read more
It’s a spring-like day in Hertfordshire and although there will be cold weather and wet weather ahead in February and March it’s good to imagine that the worst of winter might soon be over. Not that it has been torture so far – a few days of deep frost and a day or two of … Read more
Now that I have undertaken the first weekend of the counselling diploma I realise that it’s far from appropriate to comment in any detail on an event that demands a great deal of confidentiality but suffice to say that it was a superb experience in which I met 18 other colleagues on the course plus … Read more
Now that 2021 has arrived, I aim to use this website to write a short piece every two weeks or so which offers my reflections on the events of the previous fortnight, or perhaps a review of a play, book, art exhibition or film or maybe, who knows, a poem. 2020 has been a year … Read more