The end of a year is a time to look back. It's a time to celebrate our achievements and try to learn from our past mistakes. But as one year ends another begins and that's a time to look forward. We set ourselves new goals and try to imagine what the future will be like.…Read more Into the Myst
2010s
Midnight’s Mirror
We are very nearly at the end of another year and, indeed, another decade. What better time, then, to look back and take stock. With a big space telescope, like the Hubble, we can see billions of years into the past ... but I don't have that kind of chronological mirror so let's just return…Read more Midnight’s Mirror
Excalibur
A valuable work of art had gone missing. Detective Inspector "Crotchety" Mann was on the trail. His only clue was this track on Spotify from an album called Excalibur II: The Celtic Ring, under the artist name, Excalibur. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLJ3aQ6MaeY The thieves should have been more careful to cover their tracks. Although Spotify had no information…Read more Excalibur
Love & Hate
When it comes to human emotions there can be no greater contrast than that between love and hate. And I guess that goes for cartoon characters, too. Bugs Bunny loves all the other characters he meets, even the ones that hate him - especially the ones that hate him, in fact, because they lead to…Read more Love & Hate
Attention Earth!
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Yes, folks, the aliens have landed. And they have brought their extra-terrestrial music to save us from ourselves. Billions of years ago Zpor was forced to leave his home planet of Agricular before it was consumed by its dying sun. He visited Xylanthia in the Sirius star system where…Read more Attention Earth!
Blind
Our village magazine carried the following listing this month: Saturday, 9th November The Black Feathers in Concert "A gorgeous mixture of Americana, Folk and Acoustic Indie Rock ... great tunes and sumptuous harmonies" ... 'Absolutely wonderful' Bob Harris Radio 2 The venue was Hoton Village Hall in the next small village to the west…Read more Blind
Hippocampus
Hippocampus The seahorse genus An anatomical subdivision of the brain A mythological sea-horse I don't have any definitive information about which meaning of 'hippocampus' Nguyên Lê had in mind when he wrote the Hippocampus tune but, as it forms the opening track of his Streams album, I am inclined to think the tiny sea creature…Read more Hippocampus
Soon
We always hope that good things are on the horizon but, at the same time, we fear bad things will be coming all too soon. I suppose that's not really surprising; it's just what we mean by 'hope' and 'fear'. To an optimist the future holds sunny days and happiness; the pessimist sees only dark…Read more Soon
Europa’s Fall
A couple of years ago there was a small folk music festival in the grounds of Bradgate House. The house is a ruin now but it was once the home of a former queen of England. Lady Jane Grey was queen for just nine days but she spent her early childhood in that house surrounded…Read more Europa’s Fall
Easy Targets
The Crotchety Wanderer stepped into yet more uncharted territory recently. This time it was a website called The Progressive Aspect. An album review in the News section had caught my eye. The album was called Black Bead Eye, which was an interesting title, and it was by How Far to Hitchin, an outfit I'd not heard…Read more Easy Targets
Crotchety Man 