What’s the point of Father’s Day?Ray Connolly Things were different when my children were born fifty odd years ago. With our third child I took Plum, my wife, into the hospital one morning and going back in the afternoon I was told that she was in the delivery room.So soon? I thought. Then, going there,… Continue reading…
My ‘Cure’ For Stammering
(Written to mark International Stuttering Awareness Day – October 22 Do you stammer? If you do, you’re among one per cent of the world’s population, and Tuesday is your big day. Because October 22 is International Stuttering Awareness Day – to give its’ American title. And whether we describe ourselves as stammerers or stutterers, having… Continue reading…
Will It Be 1966 All Over Again? (Mail On Sunday, August 20, 2022
Hurrah The Lionesses Ray Connolly Some moments you remember all your life. One of mine happened fifteen minutes after England won the World Cup in 1966. Like almost everybody else in the country, Plum, my wife of three months, and I had just watched the final on TV, and were driving in my little… Continue reading…
What is it about Horses? May 4, 2023
What is it about horses? Why on Saturday will we smile fondly when we see the Household Cavalry as it accompanies King Charles in his golden carriage on his way to Westminster Abbey for his Coronation? Why, in fact, do we need horses in our national pageants? They are, of course, strong and beautiful and… Continue reading…
Manchester City 1, Inter Milan 0 May 13, 2023
Consider the newspaper photographs the day after. See the unrestrained euphoria of the fans who congregated together on Saturday night to celebrate the victory of Manchester City over Inter Milan in the European Champions League final. It was a raucous time in Manchester after the match. Inevitably, a few fans got over-excited. There are always… Continue reading…
God Only Knows Where AI will lead us next? (Daily Express, May 13, 2023)
A Beatle was singing God Only Knows on my phone the other night. No, I thought. That can’t be right. The Beatles never recorded God Only Knows. That must be the Beach Boys. But having been listening to the voice of Paul McCartney for the best part of sixty years, I know Macca when… Continue reading…
Sam and the Monkey Suit
(1) The Fancy Dress Party Sam had a problem. His friend Abbie was having a fancy dress birthday party on the last day of the school holidays and he couldn’t decide what he wanted to go as. ‘What about being a wizard with a cloak, a wand and a pointed hat?’ his mum suggested.… Continue reading…
The Mole of Edge Hill, Liverpool – Williamson Tunnels (Daily Mail, November 1, 2021)
You can’t beat a bit of real mystery as the background for dramatic super-reality, can you? Well, that’s what the latest Doctor Who series tapped into when the Tardis touched down in Liverpool on Sunday evening. Not being a time traveller myself, I can’t say that I completely followed the plot. But the bit that… Continue reading…
Let Nothing You Dismay – A Christmas Story
23.12.18 Harry watched as Amy, with the tip of her tongue poking from between her lips, compiled her list. Finally, at the bottom of the page she wrote in fluorescent pink: ‘Happy Christmas. With love from Amy xxx’. Then, sticking a couple of shiny stars next to her name, she folded the paper and put… Continue reading…
So We Lost…
Daily Mail, July 2018 So, that’s it. We lost. England won’t now be in the final of the World Cup on Sunday and Croatia will meet France. We’re disappointed. Of course, we are. But what an incredible ride our team has given us over this past few weeks. Let’s be honest, few of us ever… Continue reading…
