…NME, 1975* And the winner is {bodhran roll please} John Goodluck, crown pagan prince of Suffolk song and grand magister of the 1970s Ipswich folk scene. They don’t make ’em like this anymore. Johns unholy trinity of The Suffolk Miracle (74), Speed the Plough (75) and Monday’s Childe (77, like punk never happened) are faultless […]
Some well placed World Book Day vouchers pointed family Forté to sunny Wivenhoe last weekend, a magical bohemian haven of writers, poets, artists and thinkers (and a few drinkers, although there was no sign of Francis Bacon today) on the banks of the River Colne just south of the border. Although within easy driving distance […]
I love the Suffolk countryside I live in, but some despair has set in with the ruinous nature and blight caused by solar panels on roofs. The government set up a policy pinned around the premise that solar energy must be good for us all, and sold as a must have, a “Sid” share bargain […]
What a night, the stars must have been aligned. Three top flight acts all squeezed into Ipswich ale monastry St. Judes for a night of avant folk and folly. Hats off to the tiny St. Judes, they really know how to run a town pub, it’s full of a psychedelic array of characters quaffing the […]
Recently, I found myself in the notorious Flowton Channel watching the swirling dirty brown waters, from the safety of my car, with the certain knowledge I would have to turn back and take a long detour to work. I was intrigued to see the extent and depth of the frothing waters, so I got out […]
At an affordable price with some chic styling? Why not try one of the new wave of ‘cube hotels’ that accentuate the better aspects of ‘student style’ accommodation but with a few extras for the urban hotel market – a difficult pitch – as they must be clean, hygienic and appealing – and most importantly […]
This weeks customary Saturday morning stroll took me to Freston woods, just inland on the Shotley Peninsula, on the high ground overlooking the Peewit paradise in the distance. Although only a stones throw from home, and for no obvious reason beyond a more natural pull toward the river, this is still alien territory for me. […]
Helen Mirren was awarded the Bafta fellowship this week and I enjoyed the celebratory film clips which highlighted her key film roles throughout an illustrious career, including the high-class gangster moll, Victoria, standing firm with Bob Hoskins as Harold Shand, in the eponymous, The Long Good Friday. I also rather liked her choice of valediction […]
I had a letter arrive in the post today, at work, in a pink envelope with a hand written address marked for my attention and on the back a note, “Do not open until the 14th!” How intriguing. Sure enough it was a Valentines card, but not quite what I was expecting. “Be my Valentine” was […]
