The Christmas dragon
The Christmas dragon DM 4th December 2023 I was picking up some Christmas decorations for church at one of those big Christmas shops, when I espied a huge inflatable dragon standing among the santas and snowmen and reindeer. Not having seen a dragon before in the cast of Christmas characters, I asked the attendant, who […]
Managing the manger
Managing the manger DM 27th November 2023 It’s nearly that time of year where we again celebrate celestial mathematics (‘Hark the herald angles sing’), and laundry sessions (‘While shepherds washed their socks by night’), and appearances of Mary Shelley’s monster (in the presentation of gold and Frankenstein and myrrh). They’re the grammatical glitter of Sunday […]
Gobsmacked
Gobsmacked DM 20th November 2023 How long would you wait in line? The other day I lasted a whole four minutes at my local post office, before abandoning the queue. At the front of the line was an old bloke, trying to pay a bill. He was fumbling with his glasses and looked like he […]
Falsely Accused
Falsely Accused DM 13th November 2023 “You’ve been smoking!” was all that I could hear. My mother’s words, spoken long ago, when she caught me smoking in the shed below the kitchen. But this time the explanation for the nicotine-looking stains on my fingers was different. Really and truly, I was picking stinkbugs off my […]
Death on the Nail
Death on the Nail DM 7th November 2023 That Hercule Poirot is one clever chap. Crime after crime, the great Belgian detective steps forward, and with a twirl of his famous moustache, puts the clues together, solves the mystery, and saves the day. And Agatha’s ability to have her famous character reach his conclusion on […]
The disappearing squeak
The Disappearing Squeak DM 30th October 2023 I hate that. It’s so unfair. For months my car has had this high-pitched screech, that to my ears, sounds like a noise coming from one of the rear wheels in rotation. And no, it’s not the sound of a stone caught in one of the tyres. And […]
A holy heist
A Holy Heist DM 24th October 2023 That was clever! My newsfeed recently reported a crime in Poland involving a man pretending to be a department store mannequin. Apparently the ambitious fellow posed in the front window and waited for the close, upon which he proceeded to help himself to jewellery, food and luxury clothes. […]
For my twenty cents
For My Twenty Cents DM 16th October 2023 Rare coins are an intrigue, aren’t they? The Australian 1930 Penny is highly sort after, and sells for more than just a ‘pretty penny’. Further down, but in the queue, is the 1966 “20 cent wavy” – a coin that has a slightly curved upper edge on […]
The Cheese Church
The Cheese Church DM 9th October 2023 I thought it was a Monty Python sketch. You know, the one about the cheese shop. Where the guy walks in to buy some cheese, but the owner, though buoyant, cheerful, upbeat, and proud, has to confess that they have no cheese. My son had visited the local […]
In Praise of Fennel
In Praise of Fennel DM 3rd October 2023 If I could find words of sufficient worth, I would compose a song to the fennel plant. Yesterday I picked some of its delicate branches, crushed them in my hand, and enjoyed the fragrance of liquorice. And upon learning the nutritional qualities of the plant – being […]