I believe the children are our future…
A few weeks ago, when all the snow was here, I fumed at the sight of dim-witted ‘young people’ wandering about in sub-Arctic conditions in just a t-shirt and without a coat on. Don’t...
Author: Ian Marchant
That’s what being an enthusiast is all about
Yesterday, finding myself with a few hours to kill in Warwick, and in need of a breath of fresh air, I went for a walk up the flight of 21 locks at Hatton. I’ve...
Sunday Night is Music Night here on Radio Free Radnorshire
For a few months now, I’ve been chatting with my pal Mark Williams about setting up an internet streaming radio station, based here in my sophisticated apartment in downtown Presteigne. Mark is a top...
In the Night Kitchen
I’ve been teaching on the Creative Writing MA at Liverpool John Moores University for three weeks now, and I emerge from the workshop at 9pm starving hungry; and have been looking for somewhere good...
Should I have listened? (An experiment)
Rushing around this morning getting ready to give a talk at Coventry University tomorrow, I thought I might try and post a poll, for no other reason than you can post polls on Word...
This whole Oz and James thing
Well, I guess it has to be addressed; is it feasible that somebody read ‘The Longest Crawl’ and then projected the idea onto the hilarious duo? Well; yes it is. Even the graphics showing...
Funeral for a friend
Yesterday, I went down to Newbury for John Fairfax‘s funeral. John Moat gave the funny and almost unbearably poignant opening tribute. Moat and Fairfax were Arvon‘s co-founders, and were best pals for almost as...
Another shitty fucking day of life
Back in the day, when I managed the Quinto bookshop at 48 Charing Cross Road (which address, psycho-geographers might argue, encodes the famous old shop at No. 84), I used to catch the 38...
Night Chemistry (and Duck Decoys)
Coming out of Liverpool last night, and driving along the M53/M56, I was reminded of how technology and industry can bring real beauty to the night. The chemical plants on the north side of the Mersey, a...
John Fairfax
I’ve just heard the sad news that John Fairfax, co-founder of the Arvon Foundation, died over the weekend. When I was Co-Centre Director (with Monique Roffey) of the Arvon centre at Totleigh Barton, I...
On the Top Deck Three
A long long day followed by a short Parallel Lines-y link-y post. Down to Brissol today to record voice links for the Radio Four doco ‘On The Top Deck’, which goes out at 11am...
The night before lambing
Standing in the bank queue today, I overheard Gwenda the clerk say to one of the customers that her lambing starts tomorrow, i.e., the 15th of January. Like many Radnorshire women, Gwenda works to...
Living on the Front Line
I’ve been putting together a compilation CD for Finbar’s 17th birthday. Finbar is the son of a friend, and for the last couple of years, he’s come with Your Dad to Pilton. He’s a...
Calling Hazel Blears
Went down to that London again today, to do some more recording for the forthcoming Radio Four programme ‘On The Top Deck’. We went to interview a senior Labour MP in his office, who,...
Twelfth Night is not Plough Monday
Tonight is Twelfth Night; the last night of the twelve days of Christmas, and the night before Epiphany . All the kids in Presteigne have gone back to school this morning; which is unfair,...
Midnight Lady
Last night, we went to a party in Presteigne, ate cassoulet and generally had a nice mild time. This got me thinking about mild New Year’s, and how some people don’t like New Year...
