Monthly Archives: April 2008

> These fish tins were part of a collection that I’ve just thrown away. I’d picked them up over the years from various European countries. They’re all long past their use-by date and I was worried that if one should … Continue reading →

>While shopping today at John Lewis – the retail equivalent of visiting a much-loved auntie – I noticed that tucked away in a far corner of the bedding department was a whole area devoted to traditional, woollen, blankets. Expensive, heavy … Continue reading →

> How joyful is this advert from the early 60s? And wouldn’t it have been great if Innocenti’s Milan factory really was making Lambrettas like that? They might never have gone out of business.

> The DVLA have just sent my road tax reminder for Bella, my 1973 Vespa Sprint. This annual letter is my cue that summer really is on the way. Soon, I’ll be removing Bella’s two waterproof covers, washing off the … Continue reading →

> I snapped this telegram while on my visit to the RAF Museum in Hendon a couple of weeks back. Dated the sixth of january 1941, it’s informing the parents of Amy Johnson that their daughter was missing, presumed killed. … Continue reading →

> There are loads of scooters in Paris, almost every one ridden by a Jean-Paul Belmondo or Audrey Tautou, swathed in an enormous scarf and with a Marlboro dangling from the corner of their mouths. Most these days are automatic … Continue reading →

> On the last day of our trip to Paris – a city where the deceptive distances we walk always make our ankles feel like bloody stumps – we visited the Pompidou Centre. This fine gallery is home to one … Continue reading →

>On my way to the superb Ye Olde Mitre for an evening of Adnam’s Broadside and pork pies, I passed this old drinking fountain at the corner of Holborn Viaduct and Giltspur Street. I’ve noticed it before, but never really … Continue reading →

> You can’t ridea scooter in snow and sleet. I look forward to riding in when I do my sunday shifts, but today I was thwarted. For the first time ever the weather was just too bad for my eponymous … Continue reading →