Home Thoughts Weekly

Crack of doom. Tom and I meet Rose and Si at the station for our trek up to St James’s Palace where Rose is due to receive her Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. To add a little challenge to the day there is a tube strike, but Tom, bless him, has brought a rucksack to carry our ‘car to bar’ shoes. The socks and trainers don’t do much for my outfit, but at least I can get round London without breaking a heel. Arrive Victoria in record time . Typical. It’s pouring down with rain. Double typical. Si shields Rose with a golfing umbrella and we hoof it to Maccy D’s for a McWee and some essential nutrients like coffee, doughnuts and McMuffins. Greatly restored we head for St James’s Palace, spotting Seb Coe along the way... Perhaps he’s the person dishing out the awards? Arrive St James’s Palace. Hop around changing shoes and part company with the men. Only one guest per young person, sadly. We’ve been told to bring two forms of ID but Rose and I have a collection between us, just...

ELizabethm and Withy Brook tagged me then Little Brown Dog , in her own words, cranked up the pressure. Thank you (I think) dear hearts. Here goes: What are your current obsessions? Writing. If I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing. It’s my default mode and it’s what accounts for that faraway look in my eyes. Well, that and the drink. What are you listening to? As well as rocking my Spotify ‘guilty pleasures’ playlist, I’m having a bit of a vinyl revival. Over the years I’ve lost custody of some good LPs, but my Faces (Yes? Something to say?) albums have stayed with me. I was off school with the lurgy when A Nod’s As Good As A Wink came out, and I begged Ma go into town to buy it for me. Despite protests of ‘If you think I’m asking for that you’ve got to be joking’ she did eventually cave in. I’ve also inherited my dad’s classical music collection. The only problem with those is that I occasionally select a record still bearing my dad’s fingerprints and it cuts me to...