Open Writing

Sick To The Gills

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:50:00 +0000

"Any writer will tell you that insults are much easier to write than peons of praise. So when the Times also appointed him as its TV columnist the result was predictable. His general views of TV were sound but his comments on presenters and programmes verged on libel.''

Ian Skidmore lambasts the criticd A A Gill.

FORTYFIVE

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:40:00 +0000

Robert Dyce is summoned to Musgrave Hall to hear an unexpected offer from his brother.

Emma Cookson continues her dramatically gripping tale set in a 19th Century Yorkshire mill town.

28 - A Bear In The Car

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:30:00 +0000

...As we came round a corner, a bear was standing with two cubs in the middle of the road on a slight hill. We had already fed bread to a few of the bears, but here was a chance to get a really good photo...

Jack Merewood visits Yellowstone Park.

Paul Squires

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:20:00 +0000

Tina Trivett pays tribute to a kindred spirit.

A Merry Mad Parson

Thu, 17 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Diarist Samuel Pepys travels to the Hague to meet royalty.

Are Suoermarkets Really Super?

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:56:00 +0000

...For me, the whole concept of the supermarket of those days was offensive. Gone was the personal attention; the pleasure of watching the bacon being sliced just the way you wanted it, the convenience of being able to buy just as much or as little flour, sugar, cheese or any other loose commodity as you needed, and not what pre-packaging dictated....

When it comes to shopping columnist John Merchant prefers personal service.

Upheavals

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:44:00 +0000

Isabel Bradley's life has been ticking along like a well-tuned engine - but change is on the way.

Tolstoy

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian aristocrat who joined
the army out of disillusionment with his life. He fought in the Crimean War, and the demeaning treatment of soldiers he observed led him to become a reformist, and he repudiated his lifestyle of gambling, whoring and feasting. He eventually adopted a simple peasant's lifestyle and became a zealous reformer, writes Orlando Figes.

A Place For The Stars

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:10:00 +0000

Stars are not like water, are they?
They do not find their way, do they?
Is my fist the place for them?

Hariharan Balakrishnan's poem approaches the meaning of a mystery beyond resolution.

Matriotism - Love Of All My Countries

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Val Yule's poem reminds us that the whole Earth is our "country''.

Kate Weindorfer

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:42:00 +0000

...Early in 1910 Kate and Gustav made their first excursion onto the mountain, and Kate became the first women to climb it. The idea for a national park was germinated and from then on they put all their energy into seeing that their dream would come to fruition...

Paula Wilson outlines the life of the woman who played a key role in establishing Cradle Mountain in Tasmania as a national park.

From Castle To Dungeon And Out Again - 1

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:40:00 +0000

...I found accommodation at the Church Army hostel in Southampton and set about looking for work. The Captain who was in charge of the facility was kindness itself, and we often talked about life and my prospects...

Ronnie Bray, recently discharged from the Army, seeks to make a new start in life.

52 - The Ohio State Fair

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:32:00 +0000

Ron Pataky recalls the day he and a friend hitched a rie to the Ohio State Fair.

Not Able To Stand

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

"We lay till past three o�clock, then up and down the town, to see it by daylight, where we saw the soldiers of the Prince�s guard, all very fine, and the burghers of the town with their arms and muskets as bright as silver,'' write diarist Samuel Pepys, enjoying his first visit to Holland.

R K Laxman - King Of Cartoons

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:56:00 +0000

"Seven years ago, ten days before the Republic Day honours list was announced, I spent one full hour with Laxman, the creator of the �Common Man� of India. I recorded that interview and have it even today in my computer,'' writes Hariharan Balakrishnan, recalling his meeting with the legendary cartoonist R K Laxman.