Ashleylister

LATEST ARTICLES ( 2334 )

• Upside Down

  

  I’d been having a few tentative thoughts about the subject of Upside Down as a topic. I’ve heard about cakes but that didn’t do much for me, I was very tempted... Read more

  Posted on 06 May 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Upside Down

  

  At the beginning of last summer, we spent a few days on the south coast of England, between Worthing and Brighton, or thereabouts. I really liked Worthing and... Read more

  Posted on 06 May 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Osmosis

  

  Oh bejasus, osmosis , a challenging theme if ever there was one. Happily, I think I've got an angle on it, and it's all to do with bicycles and policemen, if... Read more

  Posted on 03 May 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Osmosis

  

  These are some facts about water:1.8 billion people still do not have drinking water on their premises.3.4 billion people — nearly half the world’s population—... Read more

  Posted on 30 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Blackpool Rocks

  

  A shortish blog this evening, after the rollercoaster of watching Blackpool FC finally scrape enough points to avoid an unthinkable relegation to the bottom... Read more

  Posted on 28 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Blackpool Rock

  

  I suppose I had better be a bit careful in writing about Blackpool as it is just down the road and most, if not all, of my colleagues on the Dead Good Poets sit... Read more

  Posted on 23 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Blackpool Rocks - UTMP

  

  Blackpool Rocks. It certainly does. I’m out on the fringe, away from the excitement of most of what Blackpool offers as a holiday resort, but still close to... Read more

  Posted on 21 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Lancashire Dead Good Poets' May Open Mic Night

  

  Here's the thing...You don't have to be from Lancashire. Also, you don't have to perform/read if you'd rather just listen along to an evening of great poetry. Read more

  Posted on 19 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Groceries

  

  Adele and I were watching a news item a while back about how a war - not one of the ten Trump has miraculously ended - was screwing up global supply chains... Read more

  Posted on 19 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Groceries

  

  One of the pleasures of living in my area is that if I’m short of a tea bag (awful thought) I can just nip out round the corner and get a box Yorkshire Gold... Read more

  Posted on 15 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Groceries

  

  It was a pleasant surprise to find the supermarket quiet this morning. We weren’t buying groceries, that was something to do online later. We’d popped in to... Read more

  Posted on 14 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The 'X' Factor

  

  After his first heart-attack at the age of 43, Ronald Patrick Bartholomew Grosse thought seriously about a change of career. He had been a principal partner in... Read more

  Posted on 12 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The X Factor

  

  The phrase ‘The X Factor’ has attained common usage in the English language, often used to describe an indefinable quality that makes someone or something... Read more

  Posted on 10 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• The X Factor

  

  If any letter in the English language has the X Factor then it is X. It is used in all sorts of ways and can even be pronounced differently. Read more

  Posted on 08 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Brambles

  

  I had a conversation once with a dear friend about whether brambles and blackberries are different fruits. My friend sought to assured me they are - but I've... Read more

  Posted on 05 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Bramble

  

  So the question is:What was established in Torquay, UK on the 24 February 1951 by 7 founding members Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland an... Read more

  Posted on 01 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Bramble

  

  From a Railway CarriageFaster than fairies, faster than witches, Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches; And charging along like troops in a battle, All... Read more

  Posted on 01 April 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Dismembering Enjambment

  

  Prejamble.From the French enjamber, innit. Literally means to encroach or straddle (the lines) - see helpful illustration below, but don't try this on your loca... Read more

  Posted on 29 March 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Lancashire Dead Good Poets' April Open Mic Night

  

  Our April online open mic night follows hot on the heels of April Fools' Day.Cap and bells optional and comic theme not compulsory. Come and do your... Read more

  Posted on 26 March 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Enjambment

  

  I was surprised when looking into the history of enjambment to discover that its use went back much further than I had expected. Read more

  Posted on 25 March 2026 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION