Jackscott

LATEST ARTICLES ( 1059 )

• Backstairs Billy – Mistress and Servant

  

  As we dropped into our seats on the top deck of the early morning workers’ express to Norwich, Liam said, “Okay Jack, roll up for a magical mystery tour.” I... Read more

  Posted on 02 December 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Amsterdam, the Big Tulip

  

  Before we got hitched, Liam and I had both enjoyed the many meaty treats of old Amsterdam. Needless to say, it didn’t include a cultural cruise around the augus... Read more

  Posted on 25 November 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Dutch Courage

  

  In the autumn of 1978, a pretty-faced eighteen-year-old pulled into old Amsterdam’s grim and gloomy Centraal Station. It was cold and wet, with scary types... Read more

  Posted on 18 November 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• We’re Not in Kansas Anymore

  

  We see a lot of am-dram these days – across town and county, in huts and halls, theatres big and small, all delivered by companies of dedicated luvvies giving i... Read more

  Posted on 11 November 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• The Molly Boys

  

  I’ve been watching Suffolk and Norfolk: Country and Coast on the box. It’s a gentle pilgrimage through the timeless counties that make up ancient East Anglia. Read more

  Posted on 04 November 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Seaside Specials

  

  After an unseasonably warm few weeks fired by a hot Saharan blast, autumn is finally upon us and thoughts meander back to summer frolics and the bucket-and-spad... Read more

  Posted on 28 October 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• In Sickness and In Health

  

  It’s been a year since my old girl died. She was 93, but even though she was frail and a bit mutton – well, a lot mutton – in many ways she was blessed. Read more

  Posted on 21 October 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Meat and Two Veg

  

  Continuing with the gym junkie theme from last week. Given my aversion to unnecessary movement and a low boredom threshold, I keep myself amused at the gym by... Read more

  Posted on 14 October 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Care in the Community

  

  Many gym bunnies get a kick out of it. Apparently, pumping iron can pump the endorphins too, the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters. After a decade on the... Read more

  Posted on 07 October 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Must Try Harder

  

  QuickBooks is a handy accountancy package used by many small businesses and sole traders like me so it’s not that surprising that scammers target their users. Read more

  Posted on 30 September 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Postcard from Ithaca

  

  Sleepy Frikes on the idyllic island of Ithaca was simply sublime – serene and restorative. The peace was broken only by the ringing of goat bells in the... Read more

  Posted on 23 September 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Last Pub Standing

  

  It’s often been said that old Norwich town once had a pub for every day of the week and a church for every Sunday. But as we discovered on our recent Hidden... Read more

  Posted on 16 September 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• You’ve Gotta Pick a Pocket Or Two

  

  We first heard about one of Norwich’s secrets in the local rag and decided to give it a whirl courtesy of The Shoebox Experiences. Read more

  Posted on 09 September 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Take a Walk in My Shoes

  

  I gloriously misspent my youth trawling the sleazy dives of many of the world’s great metropolitan sin bins – London, Amsterdam, Paris, New York and Los... Read more

  Posted on 02 September 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Director’s Cut

  

  I’m off-air while Liam and I are perking our pansies on Ithaca. Thankfully, Odysseus’ fabled isle has escaped the terrible wildfires that have torched Southern... Read more

  Posted on 26 August 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• In the Footsteps of Odysseus

  

  According to Homer – the ancient bard that is, not Simpson – it took Odysseus ten years to make it back to his gaff on Ithaca following the Trojan War. Read more

  Posted on 19 August 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Right on Target, Right on Price

  

  It’s well known that these little islands have some of the toughest gun laws this side of the Milky Way. It’s possible to legally own a gun but for very specifi... Read more

  Posted on 07 August 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Norwich Pride 2023 – a Celebration of Youth

  

  It’s been a dribbly July and more rain had been forecast to drench Norwich Pride. Contrary to the weather pundits, old Ma Nature decided to give us all break an... Read more

  Posted on 05 August 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• Bloody-Minded Brits

  

  I’ve always had a fu*k ’em attitude to authority, particularly the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do hypocrites. You know the kind of thing: politicians preaching... Read more

  Posted on 29 July 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION

• From Tossers to Flonkers

  

  We’ve become part-time groupies for our local village bowls team. To the uninitiated, bowls is a traditional sport beloved of the grey herd in which the... Read more

  Posted on 22 July 2023 DIARIES, EXPAT, SELF EXPRESSION