Ashleylister

LATEST ARTICLES ( 2270 )

• Magpies - One for Sorrow, Two for Joy

  

  One for sorrow, two for joy. There they are again, on the fence, eyeing up the bird-feeders, the cheeky pair. They were going for it the other day, standing on... Read more

  Posted on 28 September 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Pining

  

  Anyone fortunate enough to have visited Rome will have been struck by its distinctive stone pine trees, sometimes also called Roman pines or 'umbrella' trees... Read more

  Posted on 24 September 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Planting Trees

  

  I was set a very good example by my lovely Dad when it comes to planting trees and saving the planet. Before I was born, my family moved into a newly built hous... Read more

  Posted on 22 September 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Screen Crush - Rowdy, Heathcliff and Robert

  

  I recently watched the 1940 film, ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ on TV. It’s dark, disturbing and honest of the time, but falls short of John Steinbeck’s excellent book... Read more

  Posted on 21 September 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Screen Crush

  

  My initial reaction when seeing this week's blog theme was that I've never really had a screen crush on a famous actress. Singers maybe, Anita Harris and Grace... Read more

  Posted on 17 September 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Marmoreal

  

  Following the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday afternoon, what you are reading is take two of my marmoreal (of or like marble )... Read more

  Posted on 10 September 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Marmoreal: Down the Rabbit Hole

  

  Writing this blog post has been like an Alice adventure. It has led me down the cyberspace rabbit hole yet again. I first questioned the origins of the word... Read more

  Posted on 07 September 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Marmoreal - Legacy of Love

  

  When the time came to choose a new gas fire and surround for the front room, I knew exactly what I wanted; small, white-ish marble with narrow hearth and... Read more

  Posted on 07 September 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Blackpool Carnival

  

  Notting Hill carnival might be the biggest street party in Europe, Rio carnival may be the biggest there is, La Tomatina in Spain is perhaps the messiest,... Read more

  Posted on 03 September 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Carnival

  

  According to my Chambers a Carnival is any season of revelry or indulgence, riotous feasting, merriment or amusement. I detest every aspect of these things and... Read more

  Posted on 31 August 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Heat Wave

  

  . Hmmph, really? I wanted to write about Conservative sleaze, the dangers of privatisation, rampant profiteering by utility companies, England's raw sewage... Read more

  Posted on 28 August 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Lancashire Dead Good Poets' September Open Mic Night

  

  Coming up - our monthly online event: 20 x 5 minute slots...Steve ;-) Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Read more

  Posted on 26 August 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Heatwave - Staying Cool!

  

  We spend the chilly, dreary, dark days of winter hoping we get a decent summer, and then when it comes it can be too much. Luckily, here in the North West, the... Read more

  Posted on 23 August 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Pendulum

  

  : a weight suspended from a pivot so it can swing freely. Simples! Is that okay? Do you need to know more? If so, it turns out there's a wealth of information o... Read more

  Posted on 22 August 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Walls

  

  Ever since we scrambled down from the trees or stumbled out of our caves, humankind has constructed walls, originally to keep the outside out (weather,... Read more

  Posted on 16 August 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Walls - Bricks and Ice Cream

  

  Watching ‘Countryfile’ on Sunday evening, I was spellbound by the on-going discovery work at Vindolanda, a Roman fortress near Hexham in the north-east of... Read more

  Posted on 10 August 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Generosity -

  

  Sometimes on social media, I read stories of generosity and the generous person is often unknown to the recipient. Perhaps a mother with a child in a pushchair... Read more

  Posted on 04 August 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Lancashire Dead Good Poets' August Open Mic Night

  

  Our monthly virtual open mic poetry night, 20 x 5 minute slots.Steve ;-) Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Read more

  Posted on 01 August 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Cliffhangers

  

  Architects must be some of the maddest people on the planet, second only to their clients probably. For what could be more 'out there' and living on the edge... Read more

  Posted on 30 July 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION

• Cliffhanger

  

  I write as someone who knows about the effects of cliffhangers on a person’s life. I was an Archer’s addict. How many Sunday mornings were ruined by the need... Read more

  Posted on 28 July 2022 BOOKS, CREATIVITY, CULTURE, SELF EXPRESSION