Despite my misgivings [Reflections of a Postmodernist, 11 July 2014], buying a television for our cottage in France has proved worthwhile. Just this month it has allowed me to watch key events at the European Athletics championship, and my wife some favourite DVDs, but it has also revealed its limitations. Our subscription did not allow me…
The sausage dog and Mrs Toad
What a summer of poisoning it has been! At an international level we learned that President Putin had started employing tasters to check that there was nothing untoward in his food. In the UK, the government announced its plans to hold a public enquiry into the death by radiation poisoning of the Russian secret agent…
Whistler’s mother
When it comes to etiquette, I'm in a muddle. I am happy to doff my hat, wait my turn in a queue or offer my seat to women in the underground, but at the same time I see a problem with the idea of politeness for politeness' sake. To me, following rules of conduct or social…
Cutting the cord
Already this year I have spent three months in France and I plan to be there for at least another two. Next year I imagine it will be even longer. Inevitably, with these extended periods abroad, I began to wonder exactly where I belong - a question which, at my stage of life, comes as…
Reflections of a postmodernist
It’s not that I have a problem with modernity, but upgrading one’s life isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Of course there are benefits but there can be losses too. What seemed like an obvious advance can give rise to pangs of nostalgia for the old way of doing things - was the…
The north wind doth infrequently blow
Sometimes gardening demands invention. Last week, it required the construction of a moveable gated fence, seven meters long and one meter high running across our lawn. The requirements were that it should be sturdy enough to keep in a small dog, easy on the eye and flexible enough to allow it to be folded away…
Communication gap
Several years ago I was in a taxi heading for Moscow airport. I spoke no Russian and the driver no English, but that was no obstacle. Soon we were chatting away about football - what else? The topic of our conversation was Manchester United. One of us would mention the name of a player -…
They was robbed
Football divides us, and for those of you who see the 'beautiful game' as irrelevant, aggressive or even repulsive, here is a health warning: this blog is not for you. However, those who empathise are invited to read on. The final Saturday afternoon of the season was a topsy turvy affair with anxiety and exhilaration…
Pfizer go home
Our house guest's question came out of the blue. Anne, who comes from France and has known me for years, suddenly asked why I had stopped railing against the pharmaceutical industry. Were the companies suddenly behaving themselves? I replied with some inner satisfaction that since my retirement I was a changed man. Instead of living…
Hold very tight please!
In central London last week I found myself re-living memories of my childhood - and there was an added pleasure: I was allowed to make the sort of very English public announcement of which boyhood dreams are made. The incident involved a new double-decker bus, one of those red, recently-introduced, London Transport Routemasters whose design…
The Joe Collier Blog 