The Last Post
Dear reader, We are sad to tell you that Pointman, real name Tony, has passed away and this site is now managed by his family. He was very unwell for a long time, and his passing was sudden but not unexpected. We ask for your understanding at this difficult time. He’ll be sorely missed by … Continue reading
Anniversary thoughts
I remember after my eldest brother Brian’s funeral, there was a sombre black tie doo at the university where he was the bursar. The great and the good gave generous eulogies and even a former president of the student’s union came back to tell some anecdotes about their clashes together as a boss and a … Continue reading
Tears in rain.
One of my sisters and a niece of ours in Canada started a conversation online about old photographs and started swapping what ones they had. They didn’t have many but in terms of genealogy, got back pretty far. There was an old picture of my father at what looked to be him at about twelve … Continue reading
Seeing a friend out.
I once had a friend. He and his wife and family had moved in a few doors down. Our youngest sons went to the same junior school, babies really. Anyway, the annual BBQ in May came around and it was the usual dissolute business. Always invite all the neighbours, that way it blunts any possible … Continue reading
For Jimmy.
Wee Jimmy was always off territory. He was the smallest and slightest of a bunch of roughty toughty guys, but each and every one of us knew he was the real dog’s bollocks. Once you’d ever seen him in action, you knew. Balls out fucker who didn’t have a reverse gear. That amount of courage … Continue reading
The blue remembered hills.
It’s half ten of a Sunday evening. We’re in the living room and my wife and I are looking forward to a bit of vegging out on the couch and watching the next episode of a TV series we both like. Her head is atop a pillow which rests on my lap and my arm … Continue reading
Warriors.
It’s a funeral and it’s a hard day. We’re all blacked up and milling around. I spot him and see him, and know enough to get there quick. He’s basic, mad and sad and I can see him smouldering, towering in his frustrated rage. I want to keep him safe. Unusually for him, he’s already well tanked … Continue reading
Remembering NoIdea.
Today is the first anniversary of our friend’s passing. He had many admirable qualities, not least of which was his stoic fortitude in the face of adversity. It took me a couple of years to realise it, but the reason he’d be up so late at night in a chatroom with me wasn’t because he … Continue reading
That stuff, is it beautiful?
Some articles you owe, they’re a debt you have the need to repay and this is one of them. April, as TS Eliot wrote, is the cruellest month and I’d agree, if only because it contains the anniversary of my father’s death. This April, I will finally settle that debt and walk away. One way or another, I will … Continue reading
About Henry.
“So, wotcha think about this King Edward the Confessor geezer?” he asked. It was Henry blagging his way through some history homework for the only teacher he ever made any effort to please. The teacher used to let him hide in the book cupboard at the head of the history classroom when the Deputy Head … Continue reading
Not all lives are measured in years.
This is a guest article by one of our regular commenters, Blackswan. It grew out of a conversation we had about the relatively unknown people we admired and when Swannie mentioned him, I admitted I’d never heard of him and being intrigued by the snippets I’d been told, asked if a thumbnail sketch to share … Continue reading
The silver apples of the moon, the golden apples of the sun.
There’s a lot of stuff you can get away with in the armed services but being a bad leader of a group of men who know they’re going into harm’s way isn’t one of them. They have trust in you or they don’t and you can tell that from their faces. The skinny 25-year-old young … Continue reading
Sir Patrick Moore (1923-2012), an appreciation.
The Germans have a word we don’t have in English, and it really doesn’t translate very well because of that lack – Lebenskünstler. In a typical Teutonic fashion, they jammed together two words which each nearly expressed what they were after, and created a new word, which denoted exactly what they meant. Leben means life and Künstler … Continue reading
The day of days.
I caught the tail end of a news item last week about a space rocket launch, I think taking supplies to the International Space Station. It only got a mention, because it also was carrying up the ashes of the actor James Doohan. The name might mean nothing to you but if I said he … Continue reading
About Harry.
I went to a christening today. It’s been a long time since I’ve been inside a place of worship. Things have changed a lot. The toddlers were allowed to walk around and actually called up to the front so they could really see what was going on. No hushing or shushing. There were several babies … Continue reading
On a fine woman, swans and a moment long ago.
My mother passed away suddenly but peacefully in January of this year. It didn’t make the Times obituary columns, so I’ll do it for her but in my own way, which helps me take my leave, though she and my father, as the greatest influences in my life, will always be with me. I … Continue reading
Pointman's 
My belated condolences. I always enjoyed reading his posts and will miss his insight and wide ranging views. May hew…