18 November 2021 POUR LES AMIS DU FOOT ANGLAIS (!!) French attack on England team names by Philip Throp Rob Smith, one of our committee members, is well-known to our Town Twinning friends on both sides of the Channel as an amusing raconteur with an endless source of funny jokes in English and in French.… Continue reading Issue 301: 2021 11 18: Amis du foot
Article Category: Features
Issue 299: 2021 11 04: Oh To Be Alive!
4 November 2021 Oh To Be Alive! Lucky dogs. By Lynda Goetz It has just been one of those weeks. So much happening on the world stage; so many irritating and frustrating examples of ‘wokery’ (from the National Trust to Linacre College); horrific tales from different parts of the globe; ongoing Brexit issues; a climate… Continue reading Issue 299: 2021 11 04: Oh To Be Alive!
Issue 291: 2021 09 02: The Theory of Everything
2 September 2021 The Theory of Everything By Paul Branch Much has been happening this past month while Shaw Sheet has been dormant, with many issues left over and still undecided as we say farewell to so-called summer. Will Paddy Power pay out on Boris Johnson’s gamble of lifting Covid restrictions? Has Joe Biden played… Continue reading Issue 291: 2021 09 02: The Theory of Everything
Issue 289: 2021 07 22: A Trip to London
22 July 2021 A Trip to London How wonderful. By Lynda Goetz I lived in London for around 12 years from my mid-twenties to my mid-thirties. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent first in the Bloomsbury area and then in Clapham and working in the City. After a year and a half spent in Japan,… Continue reading Issue 289: 2021 07 22: A Trip to London
Issue 286: 2021 07 01: The Bus Stop Papers
We provide 3 competing stories for the deep truth behind the bus stop papers. Kilconner does the sleuthing for you in Vladimir’s office.
Issue 284: 2021 06 17: Walks
17 June 2021 Walks Long and short. By Lynda Goetz Today I saw my first Red Admiral of the year; a reminder that in spite of everything, life goes on, with or without individual humans, with or without extended restrictions. The walk I was on was a familiar one. I was taking our dogs for… Continue reading Issue 284: 2021 06 17: Walks
Issue 283: 2021 06 10: Dreaming by the River
10 June 2021 Dreaming by the River Poop-Poop by J.R. Thomas Occasionally we like to review a good book in this column. This week our attention has been drawn to a work by a first time author soon appearing in a bookshop* near you. The writer lives in California and has written a book for… Continue reading Issue 283: 2021 06 10: Dreaming by the River
Issue 282: 2021 06 03: Roadmap/block?
A dry eyed look at the facts behind the hype on ending Covid-19 lockdown and the Indian Variant of Concern. It examines both the number of cases across the UK and those in one area which has been cited as a hotspot of concern for transmission of the Indian Variant.
Issue 281: 2021 05 27: Indian Summer?
Rates of Covid-19 in small areas of the UK are compared and the factors common to those which are hardest hit in April to May 2021 are identified. The case rates in most of the hardest hit areas are found to have peaked.
Issue 274: 2021 04 08: Pandemic Games
8 April 2021 Pandemic Games All in the format. By Robert Kilconner It must an easy business, the creation of new television programmes. “Good morning Smithers” says the Network Manager. “I gather you have a new program for us. Please can I have an outline?” “Yes,” Smithers replies. “Each episode begins with a group of… Continue reading Issue 274: 2021 04 08: Pandemic Games
Issue 273: 2021 04 01: A Foreign Field
1 April 2021 A Foreign Field By William Morton Islington Council put up signs in the borough’s streets at the time of the commemoration of the centenary of the end of the First World War, giving the names of those who had lived in each street and had been killed in the War. The signs… Continue reading Issue 273: 2021 04 01: A Foreign Field
Issue 268: 2021 02 25: Focus on Friendship
25 February 2021 Focus on Friendship Time, distance and durability. By Lynda Goetz The other day I received a surprise email from some old friends with whom I have not communicated for a few years. They wanted to know if I would be happy for them to give my email address to a friend of… Continue reading Issue 268: 2021 02 25: Focus on Friendship
Issue 268: 2021 02 25: John Keats
25 February 2021 To John Keats On the bicentenary of his death (23.02.2021) By Neil Tidmarsh I caught it off you, John, this word-virus. Fifty years I’ve suffered, searching, singing (Trying to sing), feverish on this night bus To joy and pain, beauty and loss. Dreaming. I’ve met other super-spreaders. The vain,… Continue reading Issue 268: 2021 02 25: John Keats