Showing 1 - 10 of 18
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.
Britain braces for invasion of bed bugs
Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/10/2023
» One English expression my wife often comes up with is "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite". It sounds particularly comforting in her Thai accent, although occasionally she gets in a bit of a tangle with the three "b" words at the end which can be a bit tricky if spoken quickly.
Tuning in to the opening day of May
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/05/2022
» Well, here we are in the first 24 hours of the magical month of May. According to the dictionary, May Day is the time for "a celebration of the coming of Spring". Unfortunately, we don't experience Spring in Thailand and are still perspiring our way through the hot season, hoping Jupiter Pluvius might oblige with an occasional refreshing shower.
Tokyo finally reaches the finishing line
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 08/08/2021
» It is no secret that the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics was not exactly plain sailing, primarily due to the Covid pandemic. For a start it was a year late through no fault of its own, and was being held at the hottest and most humid time of the Japanese summer when sensible people retreat into air conditioning. It was not just by chance that when Tokyo hosted the Games in 1964 it was held in October, Japan's autumn.
Beware the TV bookshelf backdrop
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/02/2021
» Since the arrival of Covid we have been accustomed to watching television programmes with pundits, politicians and celebrities interviewed in their homes, invariably with bookcases being the backdrop of choice.
Farang life made comical
Life, Roger Crutchley, Published on 08/05/2020
» They say a picture is worth a thousand words and the same goes for Stephane Peray's cartoons in his entertaining book Farang Affairs, illustrating in a humorous manner situations that can face a foreigner in Thailand, whether they be new arrivals or old hands.
Famous last words, some less famous
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/02/2019
» I nearly ended up in "The Great Newspaper in the Sky" recently when a thundering truck ignored the red lights at a Klong Toey junction and missed our taxi by a whisker. The taxi driver seemed to think the incident was amusing, while all I managed was to blurt out "bloody hell!"
A commuter's lot is not a happy one
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/07/2018
» Commuting in Bangkok has never been much fun and last week it got a whole lot worse if you happened to be a regular traveller on the BTS. The word "frustration" springs to mind, with perhaps a touch of "exasperation", "agitation" and a general feeling of "disgruntlement". It was definitely not good for the blood pressure.