#52ancestors (Wk2): Favourite Photo – Ellen Eliza Sawyer (or ‘Nana Coombes’)

Casting a spell for many a year, this photo of my great-grandmother Ellen Eliza Sawyer [b. 30 March, 1898 (Dogmersfield, Hants) – d. 1 March, 1953 (Guildford, Surrey)] has entranced three generations of my family – her son (my grandfather, Frank); her grand-daughter (my Mum, Mary) and yours truly. 'That' photo of Ellen Eliza, As … Continue reading #52ancestors (Wk2): Favourite Photo – Ellen Eliza Sawyer (or ‘Nana Coombes’)

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“Sorrow and Bliss” by Meg Mason – but especially bliss!

After a run of pretty heavy going yet still inspiring non-fiction reads, I was determined to plump for a novel that would be easier on the eye for the next book I was to open for the late summer of 2021. I first heard Meg Mason (2021), "Sorrow and Bliss", London: Weidenfield and Nicolson enthusiastically … Continue reading “Sorrow and Bliss” by Meg Mason – but especially bliss!

“The Foghorn’s Lament: The Disappearing Music of the Coast”: Jennifer Lucy Allan

There are some far flung corners of mind which can only be summoned by sound (just as with smell, texture, even colours) - some corners more distant than others. There is one vague, definitely greyed-out location, where I’m on some kind of quayside location. My grandad used to drive HGV lorries for a stint when … Continue reading “The Foghorn’s Lament: The Disappearing Music of the Coast”: Jennifer Lucy Allan

Down With The Kids – Polyhymns’ sound of parenthood and isolation in the digital age is with me in lockdown

I’ve tended to withdraw from social media to a great extent while I’ve been shielding during the lockdown. It was getting a bit too much. It’s no overstatement to say that music has been a real lifeline during the last couple of months, and one track in particular in recent days has done the business. … Continue reading Down With The Kids – Polyhymns’ sound of parenthood and isolation in the digital age is with me in lockdown