Monthly Archives: March 2006

By Brompton down the Rhine

Back in Octo­ber I took a 300-mile trip from Heil­bronn, Ger­many, down the Neckar val­ley to the Rhine, and thence down­stream to Cologne. Almost all of this was on excel­lent, usu­ally well sign-posted cycle paths. The 38 Ger­man school­chil­dren (13 years … Con­tinue read­ing

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So much culture — so little time

Doubt­less many of the read­ers of this blog have bet­ter things to do — but then why are they both­er­ing to blog in ? So, an account of recent cul­tural events: Mar­tin Carthy in York. It’s a little known fact … Con­tinue read­ing

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Continuation of a Cultural Week

Jean Binta Breeze doing a read­ing, no, a “per­form­ance” of some of her poems and some of her stor­ies based on her child­hood in rural Jamaica. Warm and witty and wise and very much from the per­spect­ive of Jamaican women. … Con­tinue read­ing

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Baez in Sheffield

What a treat ! 90 minutes of Joan Baez — who has lost none of her pas­sion or com­mittment — who var­ies her set with oldies, new ones, protest, folk, cab­aret songs. Of the oldies, “With God on their Side” … Con­tinue read­ing

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The Power of Poetry

Back in 1965, I heard Adrian Mitchell read his import­ant, inspir­ing, sem­inal poem which has the refrain “Tell me lies about Viet­nam.” Why is it import­ant and sem­inal ? Because every politi­cian the world over has taken his advice to … Con­tinue read­ing

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Brewtown Yorkshire

The Port­land Street Ped­es­tri­ans like to end the winter sea­son, before they meta­morph­ose into the PS Ped­al­lers, with an out­ing bey­ond York and its vast range of cosy hostel­ries. In the past we have vis­ited Malton, and the Sta­lybridge, Hud­der­sfield, … Con­tinue read­ing

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Catching up with Hitler

Have just watched the Ger­man film “Down­fall”, about the last days of the 3rd Reich, set in Ber­lin in 1945, mostly in Hitler’s bunker, as the Rus­si­ans advance on and sur­round Ber­lin. Superb per­form­ances — utterly con­vin­cing, and based on … Con­tinue read­ing

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