Category Archives: Reflections

Survival: skiing, snowboarding and ice hockey

Posted on January 26, 2013 by BarryH

A small part of the church service which I went to in the Banff Presbyterian Church on Sunday morning was to exchange with the person next to or close to you something which you regarded as a  blessing during the … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Grumpy Old Men, Mountains, Reflections, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A New Year, portents, traditions and looking forward

Posted on January 5, 2013 by BarryH

I’ve never been impressed by the hype of the ‘New Year’, never regarded it as a portent or a time to make ephemeral resolutions to change bad habits, never felt the urge to stand around with arms crossed, holding hands … Continue reading →

Posted in Grumpy Old Men, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Windows of opportunity and a mountain playground on the doorstep

Posted on December 27, 2012 by BarryH

We moved to our present house from Cardiff in 1975 in order to be closer to my work, thereby significantly reducing the daily each-way commute from 20 miles to 4, 45 minutes to 8.  The reasoning was that out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Grey Britain, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Winter | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Solstices: looking back and looking forward.

Posted on December 23, 2012 by BarryH

The Winter Solstice this year began gloriously but soon went downhill weather-wise.   Still, as it recedes into the background and the days begin to get longer again it’s maybe time to remind ourselves of what the annual phenomenon is all … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Winter | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Shafts of light in the winter gloom and hibernation

Posted on December 8, 2012 by BarryH

In the last week I have made another couple of trips to Cardiff in increasingly stressed and depressed pursuit of Christmas presents for the family.  Each time I arranged to meet up with friends in the evening, something to look … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

November Daily Blog 30: looking back on the month

Posted on November 30, 2012 by BarryH

When I started the November Daily Blog as part of the NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) challenge I had the intention of using it as an incentive to do something different and interesting every day. That ambition took a knock … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | 1 Comment

November Daily Blog 29: problem solving and the subconscious

Posted on November 29, 2012 by BarryH

I don’t suffer from insomnia.  I gave up on having ‘a good 8 hours sleep’ very many years ago.  Instead I stay up until I’m tired and then go to bed with the result that I drop off instantly.   I … Continue reading →

Posted in Greece, Health and humour, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

November Daily Blog 27: The rain came down and the floods came up …. but who is to blame for the damage

Posted on November 27, 2012 by BarryH

Once again floods are headline news.  About 800 homes flooded in South West England over the weekend.  In north Wales residents in St Asaph have been evacuated as the River Elwy floods, train services to Holyhead disrupted and roads closed. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

November Daily Blog 23: Exploration and discovery, a new twist.

Posted on November 23, 2012 by BarryH

We rightly admire the explorers of old who sailed off the edge of the flat earth to discover what lay beyond.  Long before the giants of the Age of Exploration such as Cortes, Pizarro, Columbus, Magellan, da Gama, Drake, Raleigh, … Continue reading →

Posted in Health and humour, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

November Daily Blog 22: Advertising, pseudo science and manipulation

Posted on November 22, 2012 by BarryH

More than half a century ago our forward looking English teacher in school included in the curriculum a series of lessons on advertising techniques.  I have forgotten much about grammatical construction and the poems of Alfred Lord Tennyson but I … Continue reading →

Posted in Grumpy Old Men, Health and humour, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment