Pete Hartley: sometime dramaturg, perennial scribbler
(Extracted from Will at the Tower) Will rubbed the ache from his eyes. He could remember nothing of the night. The mattress beneath him was coarse and sank sharp shards into his naked back. The sunlight seared across the ceiling rebounding off the lime wash. There were no familiar scents in the air, but the … Continue reading Sigh no more
One of the most perplexing aspects of Hoghton Tower in Lancashire is the question of where is the building from which it takes its name? The original tower has been missing for 376 years. There were theories as to where it was, but no one was sure until now.
One small doorstep delivery I do not remember where I was when JFK was shot, but I do remember where I was when his pledge to put a man on the Moon ‘in this decade’ was fulfilled. I was in the lounge of a customer of my father. My father was a self-employed milkman and … Continue reading Over the Moon on the milky way
What I owe the Open University Fetishism was not a personal priority upon applying to the Open University, but it proved too much of a temptation subsequently, when it was the title of an optional lecture at one of the residential summer schools. Despite being on the final half day of our week-long stay that … Continue reading I.O.U.O.U.
Trials on a tandem “I’d like to ride a tandem,” said Bob, “along the Pennine Way.” It was the kind of remark Bob would make. He was a well-known character locally and had been my best friend as a child. We were in our twentieth years and still very close. Sharing a tandem in the … Continue reading Downhill from John O’Groats
The word 'academic' is the bane of creative subject teachers' lives, yet it is an unjustified means of establishing a hierarchy of learning. It is usually defined by the proportion of cerebral to practical activity. Subjects with a high practical content are deemed less worthy. That is lazy thinking. The academic is ultimately worthless without practical application.
How an excursion on a veteran steamship and the making of a miniature replica fuelled a perplexing retro-adventure.
“The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one,” he repeated.
“He’s right,” said Wendy Tyrell, the physics professor.
“How can you be sure?” I asked.
“Because I’ve measured the trajectory, and they’re not coming from Mars.”
“Then where are they coming from?”
Wendy re-positioned the telescope and invited me to look through it.
It was a magnificent honour for the terminally ill Mike Airey to see his name emblazoned of the vintage Blackpool Standard Tram 147 less than a month before he died on 12th August 2006. Twelve and a half years later, the tram looks as resplendent as ever. It has recently had a few more buckets … Continue reading Ticket to pride
Fiction, addiction and ostentation.
uneasywords 