As I’ve previously written, I’m a fan of the author Anthony Trollope (1815 – 1882). His books are engaging, wry, and conjure up visions of life in the latter half of the nineteenth century. If you haven’t read any of his voluminous output, you’ll at least have heard of some of the films and series based on his work: The Barchester Chronicles, Doctor Thorne, The Pallisers, The Way We Live Now, … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: January 2024
Bach didn’t only love beer!
In a previous post, I extolled the virtues of J.S. Bach, and mentioned my surprise at discovering that he was, to put it lightly, a ‘bit of a lad’ (street-fighting, imprisonment, father to at least 20 known offspring, incorrigible, …). Added to the list of his outrageous pursuits was a love of beer. What I’ve more recently discovered is that Bach had another specific passion, and that was coffee, making him a regular at Leipzig’s Zimmermann Coffee House. Continue reading
How the hell did I become a Jehovah’s Witness?!
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I was a Jehovah’s Witness for a decade – a period that Marilyn and I referred to as our ‘wasted years’. I consider myself to be moderately smart and discerning, but I allowed myself to be sucked in by this pernicious sect for what should have been some of the best years of my life, my late teens to around 30 years of age. Continue reading