Marv’s Midlife Meanderings

I left the office to make my way home at about ten past seven in the morning, arriving at Newark train station to be told that there may not be a train from Nottingham to Mansfield. I still decided to get onto the train, which took a while to get to Nottingham, due to the extreme snow overnight.  The train I caught was actually the earlier train leaving late - it left at 7:26am, when it should have left at 7:12am, and arrived at Nottingham at a quarter past eight, because of the trainline barriers were all stuck. When the train reached Nottingham I did find that the trains were cancelled between Nottingham and Mansfield, due to a fallen tree on the line.  At twenty five past ten we found that the due train was actually going to go to Mansfield, and it left the station at 10:35, once more taking the journey slowly, with the barriers once more needing repair on the way.  The train pulled into Mansfield at ten to twelve, when I walked from the train to the bus station, caugh...

 

  The ‘casts - (Notes spoken to Siri, and edited later if I remember (Changed tactic now where starred dialogue denotes quoting from the show’s own notes ) A Calm Christmas - Season 4 Episode 2: 21 November 2024: *This Year - This week's episode is called Give Love This Year, gratitude and gifting, and I'm sending it out to you from my kitchen table, which is currently covered in wrapping paper, ribbon, my fabric stash, the good scissors, the silver pens, stickers, tape, stamps and ink. Let me get you a cuppa. We're going to be here for a while. / This episode is full of probing questions that will help you come up with unusual, thoughtful gifts for your loved ones, as well as ideas for wrapping mindfully. It also includes: Some fascinating facts about the history of gift giving, including a brilliant idea for topsy turvy gift giving from Roman times /  An invitation to seek out winter sunshine and other gifts from nature /  Gorgeous recipes for Rachel de Thample's Rise...

  The ‘casts - (Notes spoken to Siri, and edited later if I remember (Changed tactic now where starred dialogue denotes quoting from the show’s own notes ) The Future of Our Former Democracy - Season 1 Episode 3: 9 October 2024: *From Rebellion to Republic: Ireland's Path to Partition - Revolution and electoral politics - our favorite! George and Colin discuss Ireland's tumultuous journey towards independence and the partition of Northern Ireland post-World War I, focusing on significant events like the Easter Rising of 1916 and the War of Independence. / With the help of experts, George and Colin discuss key historical milestones such as the 1918 General Election, which saw Sinn Féin's landslide victory, the eventual partition of Ireland into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, their adoption of different electoral systems, and how those systems changes set both regions on divergent paths. The episode also dips into the complexities of naming and identity in Nort...

  The ‘casts - (Notes spoken to Siri, and edited later if I remember (Changed tactic now where starred dialogue denotes quoting from the show’s own notes ) Candy Claus - Season 1 Episode 4: 8 December 2023: The Maltese Fa La La La Lalcon The Strange Brew - 22 November 2024: *Bruce Woolley - Bruce Woolley has had a fascinating career in music, from his early days co-writing "Video Killed the Radio Star" to working with artists including Trevor Horn, Dollar and Grace Jones. /  Bruce opens up about the long journey to get his new Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club anthology released, the origins of "Video Killed the Radio Star", and the musicians like Thomas Dolby who passed through the group's ranks. He also discusses his later work on Grace Jones' "Slave to the Rhythm" and collaborations with Trevor Horn. Now performing with The Radio Science Orchestra, Bruce reflects on how the music industry has changed over the years while still staying creatively...