• OPINION

  Taking a dip in Hua Hin a long time ago

  Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/04/2024

  » It is not often I can remember what I was doing five days ago let alone 55 years, but a moth-eaten diary confirms that on April 14, 1969 I was in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin. A brief explanation is necessary.

• OPINION

  Sad tale of a sycamore and a chainsaw

  Roger Crutchley, Published on 08/10/2023

  » Every now and again there is a news story that leaves you scratching your head prompting the question "What were they thinking?" That was my reaction on reading of the destruction by vandals of an iconic sycamore tree in the northern England county of Northumberland.

• OPINION

  The train robbery that gripped a nation

  Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/08/2023

  » Last week on television I watched the two-part series The Great Train Robbery, an intriguing account of the audacious heist that made headlines in Britain all those years ago. It slowly dawned on me that this month is the 60th anniversary of that extraordinary robbery which took place on August 8, 1963, on the Royal Mail train from Glasgow to London. Frightening how time flies.

• OPINION

  Warning: It's blowing a hoolie out there

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 24/04/2022

  » Part of the ceiling of our small carport was blown off by a freak gusting wind recently. No great drama but this minor incident served as a reminder of just how powerful the wind can be, even an insignificant "Bangkok gust". I am truly thankful not to have experienced tornadoes like those in the US which must be terrifying.

• OPINION

  Thailand becoming even more amazing

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/11/2021

  » With the kingdom opening up again the Tourist Authority of Thailand have announced that they are primarily interested in "quality tourists". What exactly constitutes a quality tourist is not entirely clear, but one suspects it's a polite way of saying anyone with lots of money. No riff-raff or hoi polloi please.

• OPINION

  Situations vacant: Bouncer, must be polite

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 31/10/2021

  » Troubling news from Britain. One in five nightclubs in the UK have not been able to reopen owing to a shortage of bouncers. For anyone unfamiliar with this terminology, bouncers are the big blokes at club doors whose main role is to chuck out undesirables. And if you still don't get the message, they are usually dressed in black. However, they are officially known as "door supervisors" which certainly looks better on a CV than "bouncer".

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  Just another case of terminal madness

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/08/2020

  » Last weekend there was bit of a scene at Don Mueang airport when a passenger, after being told he was too late to board a domestic flight, decided the best response was to pick up the AirAsia computer laptop and smash it on the floor. Not a good idea.

• OPINION

  All the news that's fit to print

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 09/08/2020

  » The news hasn't been particularly uplifting recently, has it? Open the paper, or switch on the television news any morning and there is a good chance you will feel like going straight back to bed and starting the day all over again.

• OPINION

  August can be a very wicked month

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 02/08/2020

  » My goodness, we are already into August, but with the coronavirus it feels like the year has hardly got started. Six months seem to have simply disappeared and worse, I've got a year older with nothing to show for it but a few more wrinkles. I also have an uncomfortable feeling I will still be wearing a face mask next August.

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