Nigeness

 Browsing in the classic anthology of bad verse, The Stuffed Owl , I notice that Erasmus Darwin, that great son of Lichfield, is represented...

 For several days now, I've been more or less prostrated by a mystery bug – not the CCP Virus (as some wags are calling it, rather aptly...

 Neil Hannon, that fine singer-songwriter, lead singer and sole permanent member of the Divine Comedy, was born on this day in 1970. To mark...

My latest contribution to that excellent magazine, Literary Review –   The Wood that Built London: A Human History of the Great North Wood ...

I've often admired this extraordinary painting  – Degas's Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando – in the National Gallery. With its neck...

 On this day 60 years ago, Philip Larkin wrote a fine seasonal sonnet, which was left among his uncollected works –  And now the leaves sudd...

 Lately, for various reasons, I've been spending quite a lot of time in hotels. This has led me to conclude that bland, low-price chain ...