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86 and Still Counting

 

I'm 86, and life continues to be one great adventure.

I'm a jazz musician, webmaster, web project developer, writer, journalist, audio and video content creator, bibliophile, cook, fitness enthusiast, and lifelong learner. Whether I'm making music, developing websites, writing stories, producing digital content, experimenting with a new recipe, or staying active at the gym, I believe every day is an opportunity to learn, create, and connect.

This website brings together my passions—music, conversation, creativity, technology, worldwide friendships, and the simple pleasures of everyday life. It's a place to share ideas, experiences, and discoveries with people from around the globe who believe that curiosity and creativity have no expiration date.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you'll enjoy exploring, join the conversation, and come back often—because at 86, the adventure is still unfolding.

Welcome • Bienvenue • Willkommen • Bienvenido • Benvenuto • 欢迎 • ようこそ

New and Recent

Singing Jazz Changed Their Lives   Both young women when I first met them. One, a single mother with two young children, living in difficult circumstances. The second, shy, nervous, and...

Paul Dubois - What Kind of Fool Am I   Paul Dubois. Bass & Voc. Pierre Menetier. Pno. Robert Cordier. Drums. Peter Maguire. Valve Trombone. A track form 'The Groovers' album. Recorded at...

Miscarriage of Justice   Returning late from a jazz gig in Manchester. It was after midnight when I exited the motorway on to the moorland road, the way to my home. I saw a van parked hard...

Tolkien Lord of the Rings - Ralph Bakshi's Film   The Lord of the Rings is Ralph Bakshi’s 1978 animated adaptation of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings was release: November 15, 1978. A mixture...

Prague Spring The Soviet Invasion   A period of political liberalization in communist Czechoslovakia led by Alexander Dubcek. He promoted “socialism with a human face,” including greater...

Great British Puddings   What is a British Pudding? Most people living within the British Isles would I expect know the answer to this question. Also, too, places in the world where early...

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86 And Still Counting

Sydney's Psychic Experience On The Guildford Bypass   My friend Sid.K. The ultimate rationalise who seemed to have have his beliefs, or perhaps more correctly, his non-beliefs, tested in...

Attend a Wedding or a Football Match? | A Childhood Memory from 1941   I had an astonishing flashback to my childhood. I called my uncle concerning the death of my Mother. He made a remark...

Fishing. Nemesis Beside A Lake District Tarn   Arrogant and opinionated about marriage, three years on, I face a moment of truth while fishing a remote tarn in the English Lake...

Aunt Polly | I Was a Child But I Saw the Hatred   My Aunt Polly live directly opposite to my grandparents house. The title, Aunt, was honorific, such aunts, where at that time, customary. I...

Nunc Dimittis. The Setting Was Awful   I was a diffident and mentally unengaged choir boy. I did enjoy singing decants. But most hymns, musically, bored me. The exception was the Nunc...

Before YouTube: Live Audio Streaming Over the Internet in 2000   Around 1999–2001, live internet streaming of press conferences and concerts was still uncommon, especially outside major media...

Roald Dahl. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory   The first UK edition of Charlie and the Chocolate line drawings by British artist Faith Jaques. Laminated Boards: The book was published purely...

Scat Hat: There Will Never Be Another You   I love to scat. Brain to vocal chords. A clear path unencumbered by the technical challenges of a musicial instrument. Sometimes things happen that...

My Earliest Memory: A WWII Air Raid When I Was 21 Months Old   On the night of June 1–2, 1941, 110 German aircraft bombed Manchester and Salford during the Blitz. The heavily industrial area...

The European Union Youth Council of Ministers   Delegates from each of the member States, three young people, mainly mid-teens, accompanied by a teacher, came to Brussels for educational, and...

George Orwell Was Responsible For My Re-education   I became aware of George Orwell during my first posting to RAF Tangmere. He quite literally changed my outlook and the view of the would I...

J.R.R Tolkien. The Road Goes Ever On   The Road Goes Ever On is a song cycle and the title of a 1967 songbook featuring lyrics by J.R.R. Tolkien and music by Donald Swann. It takes its name...