-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
Categories
Meta
Author Archives: Richard Stokes
Dropping a Few Names
Dropping Names Sometimes I think dropping names is an odious thing to do. However I am going to make a list of the well known, famous, infamous (do I know any of these?) and perhaps people who aren’t famous but … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
9 Comments
A brief encounter with David Hockney
I am writing this because some time ago Hockney, a devoted smoker, reported to the press that he thought smokers might be less likely to become infected with Coronavirus. I think it was 1970 give or take a year. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Comments Off on A brief encounter with David Hockney
The King Rufus – Eling, Hampshire
A hidden gem of a country public house (Editor’s note: sadly this pub is now closed and is awaiting new tenants – owners. I am leaving the aricle here because of the amazing artwork that the pub displayed. I hope … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Comments Off on The King Rufus – Eling, Hampshire
Tuna – a tapenade take
I have always been quite fond of tinned tuna but my repertoire didn’t go much beyond a basic salade Niçoise wonderful as it is. Recently I have been doing a lot of snacking. I thought I would dream up a … Continue reading
Cheese Scones
I have recently moved to West Bay, Bridport from Lymington, Hampshire. One of my first visits to an eaterie in West Bay was to the Cornish Bakery. As well as a large selection of pasties (obviously) there were pastels de … Continue reading
Pasta tomato and roasted red pepper salad
Pasta with tomatoes and roasted red pepper. This recipe was devised as a bit of a take on John West’s Mediterranean tuna salad. I like the above salad but I needed larger quantities and I also wanted a bit more … Continue reading
Posted in Food, Uncategorized
1 Comment
Back again after a long time
I have been remiss in not contributing to this blog for ages, years in fact. The last couple of years have been interesting, I mean interesting in the scenes of the Chinese curse “may you live in interesting times”. My … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Comments Off on Back again after a long time
Chaat Masala
Many years ago (late sixties) when I was a student in Birmingham a new up market Indian restaurant opened in New Street, one of Birmingham’s main retail thoroughfares. It was in my mind anyway rather ludicrously named the Gaylord Indian … Continue reading
Posted in Food
Comments Off on Chaat Masala
Easy Russian Salad
Recently I felt nostalgic for tinned Russian Salad. I can’t remember which company supplied them might have been Heinz or possibly Crosse and Blackwell. What I recall was something like a macedoine of vegetables but with a salad cream/ mayonnaise … Continue reading
Posted in Food
Comments Off on Easy Russian Salad
Lunchtime at the Pig
Thursday 13th of March we went to the Pig. It should have been the previous day had it not been that Jersey Airport was closed owing to impossibly snowy conditions. I had not been to the Pig before yet I … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Comments Off on Lunchtime at the Pig
Draw Something – or other
First of all I have to apologise that this blog has been untended for almost a year. Wetherspoon have opened their newly refurbished premises in St Thomas Street. The premises look good and the designers have done a very nice … Continue reading
Posted in Inanimate Objects
Comments Off on Draw Something – or other
Great at first sight – Firstsite Colchester
The beginning of the title of this blog is borrowed from Rowan Moore of the Guardian / Observer. A neat pun which expresses some of his caution about the architecture. As an ex curator myself (Minories – Ikon Gallery) I … Continue reading
Posted in galleries
Comments Off on Great at first sight – Firstsite Colchester
Another kind of lomography
People coming to this blog might be questioning my abilities to take a decent photograph. I do myself sometimes. Just before Christmas I saw a guy in Waitrose, Lymington’s car park taking photographs of a strangely beautiful dusk sky. I … Continue reading
Posted in Cameras - Lomograpy
Comments Off on Another kind of lomography
Life in the Costa Geriatrica
The Costa Geriatrica is a wonderful name I have invented for the strip of coastal land stretching from Eastbourne to Bournemouth. I live in Lymington at the western end of this coast. It was named as best seaside resort town … Continue reading
Posted in Lymington
Comments Off on Life in the Costa Geriatrica
The Number Four
I was listening to Alex Bellos on favourite numbers on Radio 4 and was fascinated to know that he had created a survey website asking people for views on their favourite numbers. http://www.favouritenumber.net I went to this and informed that … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
2 Comments
City of contrasts – Birmingham UK
Chinatown Canal, Birmingham This photo was taken in Summer Row close to where the old Birmingham College of Art Experimental Workshop would have been. Only a stone’s throw away from the brash new city centre. Note the contrast between old … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
4 Comments
Ikon and John Salt
I was invited to the private view of paintings by John Salt at the Ikon in Birmingham. John Salt was the first artist to show at the Ikon and then he had a major show in 1975 curated by my … Continue reading
Posted in Ikon
Comments Off on Ikon and John Salt
A quiet place in the New Forest
Royal Oak North Gorley Fo peace and quiet go to North Gorley, 2 miles south of Fordingbridge. There is a small plain with wild cattle, horses and donkeys, tranquil ponds and a thatched pub. The pub serves good food and … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
3 Comments