All Purls. No Swine.
Of course, the title of this post is a misquotation of in hoc signo vinces, a motto dating back to Roman times, to an advisor to the Emperor Constantine, and a phrase which has--over the years--been attributed as the source of numerous miraculous visions prior to important battles, usually with Christians on the one side… Continue reading “In Hoc Signo Vincible”
I remember the day, on Church Lane in Handsworth, at a time very different, in the late 1950s. With my maternal grandparents and my mother. Early church service (the children's service) at St. Mary's. Sermon by the vicar, the Reverend James Charles Harrison Tompkins, he who my father suspected had always had a lifelong infatuation… Continue reading On This Easter Sunday
Well, it's twenty-three years ago today since President GW Bush announced it: https://youtu.be/FuwZSAmZ5G0 An unequivocal response to what was, at the time, thought to be a great evil which must be confronted. I'm not sure the reasons for it were wrong, and I wish that the West had dug in, had not lost its nerve,… Continue reading Operation Iraqi Freedom–Twenty-three Years On
. . . from Geoffrey Chaucer, who, as with so many other things, is often credited with starting it all. It's a post which has gone before, but a sentiment which--to my mind--never goes out of date. Those who are less inclined to find themselves drowning in sentimentality, and more inclined to wreak vengeance on… Continue reading Happy Seynt Valentyn’s Day!
Twenty three years ago today, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke up just minutes before it was supposed to land, killing all seven of its crew members. I say their names. They were: Rick Husband, Commander William McCool, Pilot Michael Anderson, Payload Commander Kalpana Chawla, Mission Specialist David Brown, Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, Mission Specialist Ilan… Continue reading Rest In Peace, Space Shuttle Astronauts
Lordy me, it's cold in Western Pennsylvania, this January 20th, 2026. Accuweather (which is quite good at telling us what's actually happening at the moment, but is less good at predicting what might be happening three or four hours from now, let alone next week or next month) says it's 12F/-11C outside; however, a thermometer… Continue reading “St Agnes’ Eve–Ah, Bitter Chill it [Is]!”
Sorry, can't do it. You do you. I love you, nonetheless. Twitter, for me, exists only to advertise my many hundreds of Ricochet posts, as this site exists to back them up. I wish such a thing weren't necessary, but since Ricochet has "lost" a number of my posts over the past decade-and-a-half, and since… Continue reading Wasting Time on Twitter
From a few years ago, with only gentle editing, and from my home to yours. May your 2026 be one of the happiest years ever! (I have high hopes for mine.) Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering 'it will be happier'--Alfred, Lord Tennyson Crimenutely. In my search for a suitable… Continue reading Two from Tennyson for New Year’s Eve 2025
December 21, 2025 Dear Chickens, I know it's the shortest day of the year. And that, lately, it's generally been cold, overcast and gloomy. The worst laying conditions possible. Still--in the circumstances and all--you're giving me an egg or so a day when all the experts say the four of you should be molting and… Continue reading Winter Solstice, 2025–Yesterday
On this day, 1009 years ago, November 30 1016, Cnut of Denmark (his name was anglicized to "Canute" somewhere along the way) claimed the throne of all of England following the death of King Edmund, known as "Ironside" for his valiant resistance against the Danes. Canute was 22 at the time, and a couple of… Continue reading Celebrating King Canute!