Alan Russell
Bio
When you read my words they may not be perfect but I hope they:
1. Engage you
2. Entertain you
3. At least make you smile (Omar's Diaries) or
4. Think about this crazy world we live in and
5. Never accept anything at face value
Stories (248)
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The Shredding Blade
For those of you not familiar with them, a "Shredding Blade" is an essential piece of kit for horse owners. They are also known as "Leicester Blades" after where they are made. They consist of a strip of flexible steel about a foot long one side of which is serrated like the teeth of a saw. It is used for scraping out and scraping off dead hair and scurf from a horse's coat at the end of winter to make way for their summer coats to come through.
By Alan Russell3 years ago in Petlife
Diddly Squat vs Planning Authorities
The above picture popped up on my social media feed, Facebook, earlier this week. Unfortunately, I did not have any Gaviscon in the house at the time I saw it to ameliorate the visceral reaction to the man let alone the reason why someone should start a petition on his behalf.
By Alan Russell3 years ago in Journal
A heated discussion before "luncheon"
At a squeeze it would have been possible to sit five around the table in the bay window. That would have been three on the bench built into the wall under the window and two on stools. Apart from sitting at the bar near the till it was the prime seat in the saloon bar. The table top was covered in polished copper which caught the sun on clear days and made the area bright and cheerful. And even better, under the entire bench built into the wall was a discrete radiator.
By Alan Russell3 years ago in Journal
Fear knocked at the door...
These wise words were originally gilded on to this fireplace by my Grandfather, Theo Janku, in the Hinds Head at Bray. He worked there as the sommelier from the early 1940's until he retired in the late 1960's. The words still look as fresh today as the day he printed them and are as fresh and clear as I remember them when I worked there in 1973/74.
By Alan Russell3 years ago in Journal
Omar's Diary for the rest of January 2023
I am pleased to announce that following a wait of more than a year, including two cancellations, that Lady Servant’s frustrations have been somewhat assuaged by her undergoing her operation on 25th January. Her progress towards a recovery is now underway.
By Alan Russell3 years ago in Journal
Starting out from Hove to Brighton - Part 1
When the great writer Daniel Defoe visited what we now know as Brighton while writing his "A Tour Through the Whole Island of Britain" during the first quarter of the 18th century it was called "Bright Helmston" or more commonly "Bredhempston". He described it as:
By Alan Russell3 years ago in Wander
A jolly jape with a jolly ball
One of our horses, the delightful and effervescent Benney, had to be kept in a stable on box rest for a few days to recover from an injury. To ameliorate his boredom we bought him a Jolly Ball in the shape of a tetrahedron. It is made of highly robust plastic which he has dented but not broken. It has a hole in it through which treats like grass nuts can be put in and from which the horse can release them by moving it around the floor of the stable.
By Alan Russell3 years ago in Petlife
The Atlantic Crossing
The RMS Carmania had slipped away from her strike bound berth and gently moved along the St Lawrence Seaway. Our cabin, A15, was on the starboard side. From the porthole I could see lights on the opposite bank which got further and further away as we started our journey along the widening seaway towards the Atlantic. We felt the ship get into a rhythm as it pushed its way through the water.
By Alan Russell3 years ago in Wander
Omar's Diary to mid January 2023
Life here at Omar Towers has been somewhat frustrating for Lady Servant so far this month. Lady Servant has been waiting for an operation for over a year. It was scheduled for the first week of this month. However, the day before this the nurses had a one day strike and the op was cancelled. It has been rescheduled for 25th January. We are all quietly hoping it goes ahead as planned but in reality are prepared to have another disappointing phone call the day before saying it has been cancelled yet again.
By Alan Russell3 years ago in Journal
Our traumatic departure from Canada
We thought that when we checked into a motel near Montreal that would be the end of our drive across Canada. The plan had been to get to Montreal, have a day to explore the city and then get on board the RMS Carmania along with our worldly goods and cross the Atlantic to our new life in England. The distance we had driven was about 2,400 miles.
By Alan Russell3 years ago in Wander
