Showing 1 - 10 of 15
What the world needs now is…
Roger Crutchley, Published on 15/02/2026
» With yesterday being Valentine's Day it seems appropriate for PostScript to have a brief word on matters of the heart. I admit to not being a huge fan of Valentine's Day but in these crazy times anything that promotes love over hate seems worthy of a mention. Although it is one of the most blatantly commercialised celebrations on the calendar it serves as a welcome break from the daily diet of depressing news we have been subjected to lately.
Words of the year are bit of a worry
Roger Crutchley, Published on 07/12/2025
» More words or phrases of the year have been drifting in courtesy of the major dictionaries and I'm afraid most of them are not particularly encouraging. In fact some are a disturbing indication of the direction in which the English language and society are heading.
Where there's Muck there's puffins
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 30/11/2025
» Important news from Northern Ireland. For the first time in more than 25 years puffins have been spotted on the quaintly named Isle of Muck. The isle is a nature reserve on the Antrim coast and derives its unusual name from the adjacent town of Portmuck.
Great debates… and some not so great
Roger Crutchley, Published on 30/03/2025
» No-confidence debates similar to that which took place in the Thai parliament earlier in the week have become something of a tradition in the kingdom, but I can’t recall any such motion ever being successful. Still, at least it gives the MPs an opportunity to share their words of wisdom with us hoi polloi.
Can't beat a good hometown name
Roger Crutchley, Published on 11/02/2024
» There was a brief US news item last week concerning Groundhog Day, an annual ceremony in Pennsylvania in which a large but docile rodent emerges from its burrow and predicts the weather for the coming year. No need for professional forecasters. It is celebrated in a small Pennsylvania town with the magnificent name of Punxsutawney.
One fishy tale of becoming a Mister
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/03/2023
» I got into a tangle last week referring to the Italian immigrant restaurateur Caesar Cardini as Senor when of course it should have been Signore. Apologies to all. I should have known better than to start dabbling with foreign honourifics. I have enough problems dealing with Mr, Mrs and Ms.
Is Bangkok in danger of getting greener?
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/06/2022
» There is a decent-sized tree just over the wall at the back of my house in Bangkok which provides welcome shade. So I was a bit concerned the other day when workers from the local administration rolled up armed with a chainsaw, explaining the tree was threatening overhead electricity cables.
It's hard to beat a bit of Idle chatter
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 15/08/2021
» Thanks to readers for pointing out that in a recent column on quaint place names I failed to mention the village of Idle, now a suburb of Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Once upon a time at Windsor Castle
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/03/2021
» Unless you are lucky enough to be in hibernation, it's been hard to escape the saga of Harry and Meghan and "The Interview" that has developed into a rather uncomfortable public soap opera.
Well, after that things can only get better
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 27/12/2020
» What a dreadful year. We found ourselves having to tackle a whole new vocabulary and most of the words were enough to make even the most optimistic among us depressed. It all began in March with "self-isolation", a horrible expression inferring you have become a hermit, hidden away, exiled, incommunicado, which in fact is exactly what we were.