Showing 1 - 10 of 25
Cornflakes, cats and grizzly bears
Roger Crutchley, Published on 08/03/2026
» Readers are no doubt aware that the official codename for the current US action in the Middle East is Operation Epic Fury which admittedly sounds more like the title of a martial arts B movie. It should not be confused with Operation Urgent Fury, the name given to the US invasion of Grenada back in 1983 during the Reagan administration. Israel incidentally has its own name for the current mission, Operation Roaring Lion.
Not even the penguins were spared
Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/12/2025
» Well, we've just about slithered our way through the Year of the Snake. Suffice to say, 2025 wasn't much fun. At least the previous year we had the "Happy Hippo" which kept us vaguely amused in a daft sort of way.
Last Frontier unlike any other place
Roger Crutchley, Published on 17/08/2025
» Alaska has been thrust into the news this weekend for reasons that require no explanation. It's a suitably symbolic venue for the Trump-Putin summit considering it was once part of the Russian Empire. It is certainly an extraordinary part of the world that is much appreciated by those who love the wilderness.
Watch your step these stormy nights
Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/05/2025
» The rainstorms during the past week have been really refreshing. They've cooled things down a bit which is quite a relief after perspiring my way through April. I also appreciate the accompanying rolling thunder which provides a stirring theatrical soundtrack for the rain sloshing down. It's just another reminder of how powerful Mother Nature can be.
Recalling a world of dots and dashes
Roger Crutchley, Published on 04/05/2025
» I forgot to mention in PostScript last week that Sunday, April 27, was Morse Code Day which marks the birth of Samuel Morse, inventor of the famous communications code. The reason for my interest is that it brings fond memories of the late 1960s when I worked at Cable and Wireless (C&W) communications company in Holborn, central London.
Thai police officer becomes the bee's knees
Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/04/2025
» The feel-good story this week involves a most unlikely hero, a Thai policeman. It is not often that the local gendarmerie are the subject of uplifting news, but that was the case in the Northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom when an alert policeman rescued a woman from a swarm of attacking bees.
It's time to jive on the old six-five
Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/02/2025
» Today is Feb 16, admittedly not a date that would resonate amongst most people. But this day 68 years ago witnessed the first time British television launched a programme dedicated to pop music or rather rock-and-roll. Not exactly earth-shattering news, but it was a start.
Welcome spell of fashionable weather
Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/01/2025
» By Thai standards the weather has definitely been on the chilly side in recent weeks. Or to use the correct meteorological term, it's been "a bit nippy" in the early morning and evenings.
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 day Sukhumvit almost sunk
Roger Crutchley, Published on 29/09/2024
» Reading about the extensive flooding in the North and Northeast got me thinking about the worst inundations experienced in Bangkok. It was probably back in 1983 when much of the city was underwater for several weeks. However one that really affected me was a few years later in 1986 after a huge storm had left the eastern part of Bangkok awash.