David Jenkins' weblog

Life’s too short to drink instant coffee

Category: reminiscence

  • 1974: a big transition

    1974: a big transition

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    It began with the miners strike and it ended with me sat at a pool bar in Bali. It was quite a year. (the photo above is a passport photo I got taken early in the year in anticipation of what I would need for visas and the like later on) In summary it was…

  • 5 from 50

    5 from 50

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    That’s 5 photographs from 50 years ago. I’ve published two collections of my first two decades of digital photography starting in 2004. As chance would have it I bought my first SLR (single lens reflex) camera in 1974 so I’ve started to see if I can put together similar collections for the 30 years since…

  • Mates

    Mates

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    It seems to be an accepted truism that men don’t make and keep friends like women do. I can relate to that and given that I’m (a) a bit of an introvert, and (b) not inclined to retain contact with people it’s certainly true of me. Today I’ve got lots of people with whom I’m…

  • References in time

    References in time

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    People ask you. ‘What were you doing in 1994?’ for example and it’s generally difficult to answer. Our memories are good but they’re not stored in date form. But there are exceptions and these do enable you to work out an answer to the question. They’re the years for which you can always respond ‘yes,…

  • 5 highlights of 2023

    5 highlights of 2023

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    It’s been a full year but strangely I’ve had difficulty teasing out five particular highlights. However I do have a list even though number five is perhaps a bit of a cop-out. Three good holidays with eight excellent hotels. First my trip to Jordan, then Juni and I had a wet but nonetheless excellent week…

  • A picture for every year: 1962 to 1976

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    This second set of pictures starts where the first left off with a picture free year in 1962. That was the year I turned 15 and started in the fith form at Hawarden Grammar School.

  • A picture for every year: 1947 to 1961

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    I’ve been doing my best to pull together an archive of pictures of my life. It’s rather sparse and for some years I’ve been able to find nothing. However I’ve done what I can and these are from the first 15 calendar years, 1947 to 1961 when I became 14.

  • I don’t smoke, but …

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    Given my age and my demographic that’s hardly surprising. I should be smart enough by now to know that it’s a killer and nobody I know and socialise with does either. But I have, smoked that is, and I guess my story is not atypical.

  • Visiting Copenhagen (and Denmark in general)

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    Last night was the start of another eight part Scandi Noir on BBC4. It’s based in Copenhagen and it got me thinking. I’ve generally got a positive opinion of the city way removed from the darker side which we see in such programs. Why?

  • 5 highlights of 2022

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    It’s been a more normal year and to some extent it’s been business as usual with fewer standout highlights. Here’s a list of five that spring to mind. Family holiday in North Norfolk. We rented a cottage in Thornham and the Bradburies and Jenkinses including Charles coexisted for a week. We enjoyed some good, and…