Showing 1 - 10 of 17
Lop Buri before the monkeying around
Roger Crutchley, Published on 02/06/2024
» One of the first towns I visited in Thailand in the early 1970s was Lop Buri, about 150 km north of Bangkok. Its main appeal was its convenient three-hour train journey from Hua Lamphong. It offered a chance to escape Bangkok for a couple of days and experience a taste of life in a small town.
Brits can still put on a good show
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/05/2023
» Considering how depressing the world news has been lately, the coronation of King Charles III last weekend provided a brief diversion. It might not be everybody's cup of tea but the Brits certainly know how to put on a show if a bit of history is involved. They're good at pomp and pageantry and most importantly love a parade with plenty of horses.
The Ides of March and perils of power
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 12/03/2023
» This Wednesday will be the 74th day of the year, which admittedly doesn't sound like something to get too excited about. But it is not just any old day. Known in Roman times as the "Ides of March" the 15th marks the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC.
Joking aside, it's time for a quick groan
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/08/2022
» The news has been rather gloomy lately and it feels like an appropriate time for some light relief. What better than to check out which jokes from stand-up comedians were voted the funniest at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which concludes tomorrow. Unfortunately this year's offerings are either not particularly funny or I can't understand them. Perhaps I'm getting too ancient to appreciate modern wit. Anyway prepare yourself for a few quick groans.
Home alone … a case of bad timing
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/07/2021
» The emotional events at Wembley Stadium last Sunday inevitably stirred personal memories of a similar happening with a different outcome 55 years previously in the summer of 1966.
'King of fruits' is nothing to sniff at
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 13/06/2021
» Most people who have a functioning hooter will be well aware we are in the middle of the durian season. I got a timely reminder when my wife returned triumphantly from a day trip to the orchards of Nakhon Nayok last weekend laden with what is called the "king of fruits''. It is also the smelliest of fruits, prompting a brisk trade in T-shirts bearing the message "tastes like heaven and smells like hell".
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.
A sad reminder of an infamous battle
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/06/2020
» Like most expats I keep an eye open for any news from my hometown, which happens to be Reading in Berkshire. I surfaced last Sunday morning to find the lead item on the news was the awful murder of three Reading people relaxing in Forbury Gardens, a small park in the centre of town. When something horrible like that happens in a place you once regularly frequented, no matter how long ago, it prompts a most uncomfortable, empty feeling. My condolences to those who lost loved ones.
Always look on the bright side of life
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/04/2020
» In difficult times like this it is always a bit tricky writing a light-hearted column supposedly of a jocular nature, although admittedly often failing in that respect. But we have plenty of writers to handle the serious stuff, so PostScript will battle on regardless, albeit in a slightly subdued fashion.
The sorry plight of the bumblebee
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 29/03/2020
» A welcome distraction from the Coronavirus crisis came this week from a most unlikely source. Over the wall at the back of my Bangkok abode there is a drainage ditch which also hosts a couple of trees providing welcome shade for the rear of the house. On Thursday my wife summoned me to the back of the house. She pointed at one of the trees in animated fashion -- all I could see was leaves.