I should first explain what the Echo, gambling and the 11-plus all have in common. Continue reading →

What is going through my mind are things that I have been wanting to share since November of last year, when I started my stint as manager of one of the church winter night shelters for homeless folk, here in Southend. Continue reading →

This weekend there will be a momentous change in our national way of life, although it has been long anticipated and preparations have been underway for some time in the hope that people might be better able to come to terms with the changes. Continue reading →

One of the things I have found as I get older is that the rate of people dying around me, who I knew personally, often quite well, as well as well known figures in the public arena I have followed, continues to increase. Continue reading →

As some will know, my radio station of choice is Radio 4, and as and when I get the time and opportunity (such as when I’m driving) I listen to a variety of programs on it. Continue reading →

I have just been watching the film “Life of a King”. If I’m honest, it isn’t a great film but then it can’t have been too bad as I don’t often watch a film more than once. Continue reading →

Today I had an eye replacement and I went from blurred vision in one eye to clear. Continue reading →

I came to a view in my early career as a community activist that there were three types of people one might encounter when trying to be active in the community: the fool, the villain and the good guy. Continue reading →

Having the luxury of an hour to spare today, while waiting for my wife who had an appointment, and as I was in the vicinity, I decided to spend it in Churchill Gardens, just across the road to Southend’s Civic Centre. Continue reading →

“Cricket lovely cricket” is the title of a West Indian calypso written in 1950 following the first West Indian victory over the English cricket team on English soil. Continue reading →