Right at the end of my time at Grant Thornton the senior partner’s PA, Jan Hannaford, asked me for a favour. A client who lived the far side of Colchester from Ipswich Had won a prize at an event that was run at the Suffolk Show. She asked me to deliver it and save herContinue reading “But do I really feel the way I feel?”
Tag Archives: Peter Ball
We all have our sins
1993 was a good year for stag nights. In those days it was a stag night, not a weekend in Amsterdam or week in Prague, making the British look like thugs abroad and cavorting with prostitutes. The worst that happened to men in Brightlingsea was being chained naked outside the Swan pub. First was Dave’sContinue reading “We all have our sins”
The spirit dance was unfolding
Who was the most talented Beatle? Received wisdom says that it was John Lennon, but Jim Smith (a very smart man I know from online fora) made an impassioned case for Paul McCartney in an internet group that I was part of. The easy answer is not Ringo. Famously when asked if Ringo was theContinue reading “The spirit dance was unfolding”
When That Cloud Arrives We’ll Live On
As a family we always had pets. There was a lot less to do in the 70s and we lived in towns with plenty of green areas. Our first pet was Daisy – a long haired cat that we got while we still lived in Luton. She came with us to Royston and then toContinue reading “When That Cloud Arrives We’ll Live On”
In a World of Fantasy You’ll Find Me
Radio 1. In the 1980s this was the main source of pop music for the UK. There were some commercial channels, but they were not devoted to music (though Londoners were slightly better off). I wanted proper music, but some slots of the radio were aimed at other audiences – despite it being the onlyContinue reading “In a World of Fantasy You’ll Find Me”
Per ardua ad astra
There used to be a radio show called Forces Favourites, playing requests for families where one of them was stationed abroad. Later on it became Family Favourites. It was on Radio 1 in the early 70s presented by Annie Nightingale (the only national female DJ). Radio 1 had a very limited schedule in those daysContinue reading “Per ardua ad astra”
He Ain’t Heavy
Apparently, I was desperate for a little brother – I am not sure that was true, I only have my mother’s word for it. My parents repeatedly told me this as Mike and I ripped 50 shades of crap out of each other. My parents were both only children, which is why they wanted aContinue reading “He Ain’t Heavy”
Born in the UK
Obviously I did not hear this when it came out. I heard it first at university. I was surprised that the Equals were a group of different ethnicities. Even in the 80s that was not common. I was born in 1966 in Newmarket Hospital. In those days the mother stayed in hospital for day afterwards. Continue reading “Born in the UK”
Surprise, Surprise….
My Mum likes The Shadows. My Dad likes the Shadows. We had a Shadows LP when I was a kid. They were originally backed Cliff Richard and were part of the fallow period between the birth of Rock and Roll and the arrival of the Beatles, like the Everly Brothers. The Shadows were safe withContinue reading “Surprise, Surprise….”
Five Miles Out 