Here I am at the edge

John Masefield When I think of my last trip to Scarborough, the words of John Masefield come to mind, when he said:- I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by, And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking, And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking. I love to be by the sea on a windy day, to me, there's nothing greater than the salty water on your lips. The odd thing about Scarborough Bay, while the North Bay gets the high winds - in 2005 they needed to rebuild the promenade from where the car is - the South Bay is the opposite and so calm you need to walk for about 3/4 mile to reach the sea; then only a child's ankle deep.

The year I almost made the festival Ten long years Jazz festivals   My friends and readers of this blog will tell that I had longed to visit my home county of Yorkshire for more years than I recall. My family moved to the Bristol area in the winter of 1963, when I was seven. Alan Ayckbourn    One of my wishes was to see an Alan Ayckbourn play at the Stephen Joseph Theatre ; a wish I later attributed to seeing Brian Rix on TV in farces. This wish almost came true in 2010, on my last visit to Scarborough I could have seen Liza Goddard performing. The choice was to see the play or have a meal. My wife did ask if I had taken enough money on the trip when I departed. I replied that as the trip was a working holiday, and I had no intention of going in the arcades, I had enough for my needs. I would have had enough if I'd put the correct batteries in my camera. The batteries I installed were too weak, and I went through two batteries every day; this was t...

Genetics Genetic manipulation   To the vast majority of us, our genetic codes are something we hardly - if ever - think about. I must admit until recently I was among the many. Then things changed... Ehlers Danloss Syndrome EDS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehlers%E2%80%93Danlos_syndrome  is an inherited illness which is incurable, irreversible, and ultimately will put me in a wheelchair - I estimate by next year - I'm not annoyed. When I heard I had it to this severity, I gave myself to 50 before needing the chair. The extra 9 years have allowed me to do a lot of things, including two trips to Lac La Biche, Alberta, Canada , and a a final trip back to my home lands of the northern shires to see my beloved Scarborough . I found I had this illness when I went for a blood test for arthritis, it is amazing how a simple blood test can change your whole outlook on life, and make you wonder about how you lived, and did you know something subconsciously. Because...

This print had been at the top of my parent's stairs for as long as I remember. Recently it came into my possession, and certain facts emerged. The family assumed it was by a Whitby artist -- wrong -- the artist is London based Vernon Ward. The picture is of Mousehole, Cornwall and not Whitby. What caught my eye, is there is no abbey in the background. On further examination, the perspective is wrong for Whitby too.

  Joe's Resignation . Joe West was sitting in his garden admiring the bees at work when his wife called him, "Joe, it's Roger from the club. He wants to have a word with you." Joe eased his tired body out of the deckchair and ambled across the garden to the door to his kitchen; as he passed his wife, Mabel, he gave her a hug and a kiss and said, "I have an idea what this is about love." He went into the kitchen and picked the receiver off the table where Mabel had left it, "Hello, Roger, what's on your mind today?" Roger Shipman, the treasurer of Hambling Cricket Club, replied, "We'd like you to come to a specially organized meeting tonight, Joe. The members have come to a decision and want to put a motion forward." Joe smiled and replied, "You put the beers on, and tell "em" Joe'll be there." "Thanks, Joe; it has been an awful day for me thinking how I'd ask you." "I can imagine, but don...