Showing 1 - 10 of 14
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.
If in doubt, just have a cup of tea
Roger Crutchley, Published on 25/05/2025
» You may recall last week's Battle of Britain item in PostScript featured two English ladies' who came across a German pilot who had crashed in a field. Their first reaction was to offer him a cup of tea, an indication of just how "having a cuppa" is ingrained in British culture. Admittedly that was 85 years ago but even these days most Brits wouldn't turn down a "cuppa".
When tittle tattle lost the battle
Roger Crutchley, Published on 11/05/2025
» This past week there have been many moving ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe) marking the end of the war in Europe. I was born shortly after the war (a "bundle for Britain") but this week's celebrations brought to mind wartime slogans and expressions that surfaced between 1939-45 and remained in use for years to come.
Sleeping on the job at 36,000 feet
Roger Crutchley, Published on 24/03/2024
» There was a rather bizarre story which emerged recently of an Indonesian domestic flight on which for half an hour both pilots were fast asleep at the same time.
It's important to know your onions
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 12/02/2023
» There was a news photograph recently in which a Filipina bride in Iloilo on the island of Panay carried a bouquet of onions down the aisle rather than flowers. She explained that while flowers would soon be thrown away the onions would last and ensure the newlyweds have something to eat in the ensuing weeks. Now that is a practical housewife.
Hot off the press on Ratchadamnoen Ave
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 03/10/2021
» After last week's column regarding old seafaring expressions still in everyday use, I thought we could take a look at a few sayings that have their origins in newspapers.
The milkman who became a secret agent
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 08/11/2020
» To briefly escape from the US election mayhem, an appreciation of actor Sean Connery who died last week aged 90, seems to be in order. I had somehow thought Connery would go on forever, just like the Bond films. It is an intriguing tale of an Edinburgh milkman who became the most famous fictional spy in the world.
The doctor who became a wrap star
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/05/2020
» It will come as no surprise that I know absolutely nothing about fashion. However I have been impressed by the stylish scarves warn by Doctor Deborah Birx in those White House coronavirus briefings. Whether draped over her shoulders like a wrap, or tied around her neck, the silk scarves are really quite attractive and look particularly suited to this elegant lady. Dr Birx's appearances have apparently prompted a considerable boost in sales of these upmarket scarves, especially the Hermes variety frequently worn by the doctor.
Enjoying a cuppa with Harold the milkman
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/05/2019
» When I was a teenager in the late 1950s/early 60s, we had a milkman called Harold whose son Gordon Neate was a professional footballer with our hometown team Reading who played in the Third Division. Every Saturday morning, on his rounds, Harold was invited into our kitchen for a cup of tea and he would relate all the behind-the-scenes gossip about the club.
End of a sorry saga for mushroom pickers
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/05/2019
» The best news of the week is that the mushroom-picking couple have been released from jail following a royal pardon by His Majesty the King. It is a most pleasant surprise and hopefully puts an end to a grim nine-year saga that reeked of social injustice from the very first time it surfaced back in 2010.