Showing 1 - 10 of 14
From Fleet Street to the Big Chilli
Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/05/2024
» It came as a shock to learn that long-time friend and colleague Colin Hastings died on Monday in Bang Saray when he suffered heart failure and the car he was driving collided with a wall. He was 73. Here are a few personal memories of Colin, best known as publisher of Big Chilli magazine.
A painful ride with a certified horn honker
Roger Crutchley, Published on 04/02/2024
» Despite the frustration of sitting in endless jams, I've always felt Bangkok motorists display remarkable restraint when it comes to using horns. Unlike many cities in the world it is rare to hear a chorus of angry car klaxons. Things are admittedly a bit different on the provincial highways with buses and trucks not averse to giving a blast on their air horns with the clear message "Get out of the way."
The barrow, the guy and the carrot
Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/11/2023
» Today is the fifth of November which to many English people of my wrinkly age means Guy Fawkes Day or more likely Bonfire Night. It has very much declined in popularity since I was a kid, fighting a losing battle with the horrors of Halloween.
A medley of moonlight, stars and pines
Roger Crutchley, Published on 24/09/2023
» The answer to a crossword clue I recently tackled was "Vermont" which immediately triggered memories of the beautiful 1950's song Moonlight in Vermont. When I first heard the tune as a kid it created such an alluring image of moon rays amid sycamore trees I dug out the atlas to find out where Vermont was actually located. It even looked nice on the map, tucked up in the right-hand corner of the US.
A curious place to find 'Lady Liberty'
Roger Crutchley, Published on 09/07/2023
» A headline which caught my eye in last Sunday's Post was "Highway 12 to economic heaven" with a report concerning the rich potential of this route which stretches west to east from Tak on the Myanmar border to Mukdahan, just this side of the Mekong River from Laos.
The magical world of far away places
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 04/04/2021
» Earlier this week I was chatting with friends about which places around the globe captured their imagination most when they were kids. One was fascinated by Mandalay, while another said Pondicherry caught his eye. Zanzibar was another name that cropped up.
Order in the House, Mr Speaker
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 03/02/2019
» Watching the live debates from the British House of Commons recently has been far more entertaining than anything else on television. It's a wonderful mix of drama, oratorical outrage, brazen showboating and dark comedy, not always intended. It is spontaneous theatre -- the Washington Post called it a "dramedy".
Some still remember the 5th of November
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/11/2017
» It's been a busy week for contrasting festivals, commencing with Halloween, followed by Loy Krathong, while today some Brits will be marking Guy Fawkes Night commemorating the abortive Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
Good night, gentlemen, and good sailing
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/02/2017
» In a recent PostScript featuring BBC Radio's Desert Island Discs, one of the more obscure record requests mentioned came from Dame Judi Dench, who asked for an excerpt from the daily Shipping Forecast, saying she liked the "romantic names".
In Thailand, there’s no need to go abroad
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/01/2016
» Earlier this week I experienced a reminder that if you are living in Thailand you don’t necessarily have to travel abroad to experience world-famous sites. Just let those attractions come to you.