Category: Notes from the sticks

WHEN my children were small, they used to be amused by my tales of the old days before fridges, washing machines and central heating. I was born four years after … Continue readingThe Frost Report

THE stream outside our house has a small waterfall with a pool beneath it. It is one of the few deep places on the watercourse, so it is a refuge … Continue readingHerons, scourge of our stream

SINCE we moved to Lancashire from London a few years ago, I have been intrigued to see a number of plaques on Victorian and Edwardian terrace houses. These are not … Continue readingA plaque on all our houses

WHEN I read Boris Johnson’s crazy announcement that he intends every home in Britain to be run on wind power within ten years, my heart sank. It is the death knell … Continue readingIt’s an ill wind

A DRAWBACK to living in the country is that without the background hum of traffic, noise carries over far greater distances. For example there are a pair of dogs kept … Continue readingWhy I threatened to set fire to myself

IT always makes me sad when someone expresses a fear of or loathing for spiders. They are the most amazing creatures, and without them we would be swatting away flies … Continue readingOur eight-legged friends

I DON’T suppose many share this view, but I have rather a soft spot for crows. They are beautiful birds and I have been entertained over the summer by a … Continue readingHard times in the crows’ nest

MY travels this week took me past a terrace of houses unlike any I have ever seen, with beautiful tile work on the front. I stopped to take a picture … Continue readingNot so much a hospital, more a small town

OVER the last week or two there’s been a sure sign that autumn is on its way – work has started on cutting back the roadside hedges. It is not … Continue readingCutting-edge hedge trimming

I KNOW it’s not a laughing matter, but I found it hard to suppress a snort when I read this in the i newspaper on Monday: ‘Heartbreaking scenes are playing out at … Continue readingMenace in a mink coat