Some Autodidacts

Four greats who proved that inspiration cannot be taught in music lessons... It was the gruff Johannes Brahms who said 'Study Bach - there you will find everything'. But it took the promotion of this great master in the second quarter of the 19th Century by Felix Mendelssohn, and his steady ... Read More...

Dabbler Diary – Room At The Top

Susan’s post last Saturday, about a new form of space-maximising home, got me thinking about what we could do to improve things without re-modelling the entire place. Here are a few suggestions. First, double up on dishwashers and dispense entirely with cupboards for your crockery and pots and pans. Rotate it ... Read More...

The Urban Swan

This week Frank has a chance encounter with an urban swan... Earlier in the week I caught a sighting of an urban swan. Unusually for me, I happened to have a camera about my person, so I took a snapshot. As you can see, the urban swan differs from the standard ... Read More...

Urban Dictionary: The Folly of Crowds

An encounter with the man behind the web's 'go-to lexicon' leads Jonathon to wonder whether the very nature of dictionary-making is under threat... Other than in his own adopted third persona, and the occasional reference to Mr Meades who is a friend as well as a minor deity (a fact currently ... Read More...

In praise of blended whisky

Single malt fans who turn their noses up at blended whiskies are missing out, argues Henry... When one reads about whisky it is invariably single malts that get all the attention. Whisky writers go into raptures at the latest ultra-peaty monsters from Ardbeg or Laphroaig. Malts like these are drinks that ... Read More...

Dabbler Diary – Rhymes for Orange

The British class system seems to be all the rage at the moment. I like good period dramas about toffs, which is why I can't bring myself to watch Downton Abbey. I did enjoy Parade's End, primarily for the performance of Rebecca Hall, who managed to be alluring yet repulsive, ... Read More...

The Sad Americans

As the autumn leaves fall, here's Martpol with an injection of musical dejection... Sometimes Sundays require music that is upbeat and rescues you from the whole work-next-day gloom. But more often for me, they are about the kind of quiet, tender music that can soothe you as much as it breaks ... Read More...