nick rockett

The Rockett that left me out of pockett!

April 2025
I am so annoyed! I hadn’t had a bet on the Grand National for many years. But today I thought I’d have a flutter. A tenner each way on any horse that took my fancy. I scanned the runners and riders. Around 35 of them with the usual array of colourful and amusing names. One I remember from years ago was called

Stephen Fry

How Stephen Fry made PERA chairman Simon look blank

January 2025
Enjoying a Christmas drink and chat with PERA chairman Simon Lillystone I was amused by his story of an unexpected encounter with Sir Stephen Fry. Simon was attending an awards ceremony in London. On entering the venue he was surprised to be greeted by the polymath and comic. ‘How wonderful to see you,’ said Sir Stephen,

epicure coffee shop

Road testing the new 8am coffee shop in the Old Town

June 2024
I’m always full of admiration for all those hard-working, enterprising people who are up before the crack of dawn to provide a service. Like the lovely ladies at Amanda Jane’s in Queen’s Square who get up at 2am every morning to travel to London to buy fresh fruit. Not up quite that early but still daft o’clock  is the Old Town’s newest entrepreneur, Lesley.

The cheapest petrol? It ‘asda’ be Asda!

December 2023
Chasing cheap petrol prices seems a bit of a fool’s game. But it’s surprising how many people do it, me included. Why drive 10 miles to find petrol that costs a few pence less when the saving is swallowed up by the cost of getting there. But since Asda took over the old Co-op garage at Cupid Green, I have no need to drive any further. At 137p a litre it’s cheaper than even Tesco

Sven-swans-a-swimming

A scene straight out of a Christmas carol!

October 2023
It’s not often that you’ll see a real life scene depicted in The Twelve Days of Christmas. Twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, probably never. Nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, rarely. But seven swans a-swimming, yes!

Remembering Motty at the Crown & Sceptre

July 2023
I first remember seeing John Motson at the Hollybush in Redbourn at least 20 years ago. He lived in Harpenden at the time and was a regular there, minus his famous trademark sheepskin coat.

Being a football fan I was rather excited to come across him some years later holding court at the Crown & Sceptre at Briden’s Camp.