Showing 1 - 10 of 33
Hedgehoppers in search of good news
Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/02/2026
» Being the very first day of February it would have been nice if there was some good news worth celebrating, but unfortunately nothing immediately springs to mind. Cheerful news is an increasingly rare commodity these days. It all seems to be gloom and doom and hardly portends a joyful 2026. It can get a bit wearying grappling with news reports featuring contradictions, cover-ups and cock-ups, often accompanied by half-truths, prevarications and porky pies. But this is the world we now live in.
The loveliness of a flying beetle
Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/07/2025
» The recent cricket match between England and India at Lord's was reportedly briefly delayed by a swarm of ladybirds which were bothering the players. It is believed to be the first recorded instance of "ladybirds stopped play". More importantly, swarm is not the correct term for these flying beetles. The collective noun for ladybirds (ladybugs for our American friends) is a "loveliness".
Farewell Wanchai, a friend and colleague
Roger Crutchley, Published on 08/12/2024
» I was deeply saddened to hear that my good friend and colleague Wanchai Rujawongsanti passed away earlier this week at the young age of 61 after losing a battle with cancer. I worked with him on the sports desk at the Bangkok Post for two decades and it was a time I will always cherish.
Why custard doesn't cut the mustard
Roger Crutchley, Published on 27/10/2024
» Last week I came across an expression I hadn't heard for years, courtesy of the Bangkok Post's cryptic crossword. The clue was "It's sweet (but cowardly)". The answer turned out to be "custard". That took me back to pre-teen days when "cowardy, cowardy custard" (without the 'L') was a taunt heard at my primary school when someone timid was being teased.
The night I was eclipsed by the Moon
Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/10/2024
» I had planned to view the super full moon last Thursday night but unfortunately forgot all about it. My apologies to the Moon. That's the sort of thing that happens these days. It went down as another failure in my rocky relationship with the heavens and ranks up there with a lunar eclipse fiasco I was involved in many moons ago, if that's the right expression.
A magical weekend at Yasgur's Farm
Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/08/2024
» Every year there are anniversaries marking significant events from the past and they always serve as uncomfortable reminders that I am getting a bit old. A classic example is this weekend with the 55th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival. Now that's scary. Surely it couldn't have been that long ago?
Make way for the Bold Gendarmes
Roger Crutchley, Published on 04/08/2024
» The Paris Olympics have sparked memories of the time as an eight-year-old I was dressed up as a French Gendarme for a Christmas concert at a church hall in England. There were four of us and we had to perform The Bold Gendarmes, a popular song in the mid 1950s by French operetta composer Jacques Offenbach. It made gentle fun of the French policemen as the opening lyrics suggest:
When Bangkok bid for the Olympics
Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/07/2024
» It's been 100 years since the last Paris Olympics which was dramatically portrayed in the stirring 1981 film Chariots of Fire. I can still picture that opening scene with the British athletes running along the beach to the sounds of that Vangelis anthem. It's hard to believe that was made 43 years ago. If this year's Olympics are even half as exciting as the 1924 event it will be an achievement.
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 rare occasion when 'dogs are allowed'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 23/04/2023
» Earlier this month an art museum in Athens opened its doors to dogs so the canine community could experience a quiet sniff around important works of art. This might seem rather trivial but when you consider that the "No Dogs Allowed" sign is one of the most familiar around the world the dogs need as much moral support as they can get. It must be a bit disheartening for hounds to be greeted everywhere by signs that they are not wanted… an odd way to treat man's best friend.