Introducing DSTW
Until now, I have used France for Freebooters to publish a variety of articles which have no connection with France. Now that I live permanently in France, I shall have more than enough French material for that site, and nowhere to publish other things that I hope you'll find stimulating. That's why I have created Don't Stop the World.
As of June 2007, I have ceased to add any articles to France for Freebooters, partly because its structure is old-fashioned and hard work to manage. I encourage any of you who are looking for interesting articles about France to take a look at the Travellers' Tales section of lookat-france.com This thoroughly modern site is going to take quite a while to complete, but there should be enough there already to whet your appetite.
What can you expect to see in DSTW?
- The same wide range of interests as in 'Freebooters', and an eye for the sort of thing you'd be unlikely to find.
- An 'Active Oldie' viewpoint. Always inquisitive, sometimes philosophical.
- Lots of photographs. I'll also investigate ways of selling either high-quality prints or royalty-free (i.e. use as many times as you wish) licences for collections of photos.
Keith Kellett has the honour of producing the first two articles for DSTW: The Swindon Trip - a holiday for railway employees, and A la Mort Subite - a Belgian bar with a history.
And I thought I'd better contribute something myself - Late Winter - and a photo to remember it by. Hope you like it.
Keith Kellett introduced me to Margaret Dickinson, with whom I quickly discovered common ground: I knew what she was talking about when she mentioned her Hetchins. For the uninitiated, this was a hand-built bicycle frame with strange front forks - instead of sweeping forward in the usual way, the bottom part was curly, going straight down again after sweeping forwards. She claims to have been a Ladette long before the term was invented.
Maggie's first DSTW contribution is nothing to do with cycling. It's about a visit to a church in Chapel-le-Dale. I hope you enjoy both the story and her photos.
Abother Freebooters contributor, using the pseudonym 'Jack Gilpin', is likely to appear regularly on DSTW. He kicks off with a waist-expanding guide to Cologne beer and food: Kölsch.
And here's Maggie back again - first with a trip to Ludlow that will make you drool (she gave me so many mouth-watering photos that I'm going to put them in a separate gallery a little later)
... then a topical story about the 100th anniversary of the Automobile Association
Now it's Keith's turn again, with something hot to keep us going through the winter months. A walk down Samaria Gorge in Crete
It's been a while since I added anything to Don't Stop The World. Here's a sequence of pictures my elder son Nick took at the reception for brother Joce's wedding - Sandy Trust doing a flying press-up. This GIF file loops round the pictures of a single pressup, but Sandy did actually run back and repeat the exercise several times. He may have given up being a ski instructor and become an actuary, but he's still quite fit.
Here's one for my granddaghter Dyllie. My first attempt at making a video. Two Fat Pigs.
Some while ago, I started blogging. At first, New Freebooters carried on the themes of France for Freebooters, but I have now realised that there is only one subject about which I am both passionate and knowledgeable enough to keep up the pace necessary for a successful blog. New Freebooters' theme is now mainly sailing, although I do allow the occasional digression. Take a look, even if you're not a yachtie. You may be pleasantly surprised.