Alan Russell
Bio
When you read my words they may not be perfect but I hope they:
1. Engage you
2. Entertain you
3. At least make you smile (Omar's Diaries) or
4. Think about this crazy world we live in and
5. Never accept anything at face value
Stories (249)
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The Grand Hotel Scarborough revisited
After a tortuous rail journey from The New Forest to Scarborough we were so looking forward to checking in at The Grand Hotel. We decided to walk from the station to the hotel to stretch our legs and get some much needed fresh air. Our conversation was about a comfortable bed, dinner overlooking the sea and maybe even a stroll along the shore before our long day was going to end. The hotel’s imposing façade began to loom ahead of us and our hopes rose with each further step we took.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Wander
Vikings, speedboats, abject poverty and somewhere in Syria
My coddiwomple* around Tewkesbury began along a narrow lane called ‘Back of Avon’ which hugs the town side bank of the ‘Mill Avon’, not the River Avon proper which meanders through some water meadows a little further out of town.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Wander
Britain's Press Freedom 2010 -2024
The UK’s ranking in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) was 19th in 2010 and to date in 2024 the ranking was 23rd. So, not really a disaster in terms of press freedom but it is what happened in the intervening years and the overall stasis in the ranking that causes concern.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in The Swamp
Omar's Diary to 9th March 2024
I could hardly believe it earlier today when Ticker, my personal turf accountant, popped by to remind me that the 2024 Cheltenham National Hunt Festival starts this week. We offered him a generous lunch and some libations but he refused. He excused himself on the grounds that he had to collect some rather large outstanding accounts from some 'faces' around his 'manor'.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Journal
Coddiwompling around Whitechapel
After a tube journey from Waterloo to Whitechapel in dreary yellowy half-light we came to the surface like moles breaking out from their underground tunnelling. Wide eyed and blinking, our eyes adjusted to the bright spring sunshine and kaleidoscope of colours around us. We had surfaced into the middle of one of London’s richest multicultural environs. It felt like changing from monochrome TV to colour.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Wander
Well, I didn't know the ferry was moving
For one of my birthdays my wife gave me a day’s yachting experience sailing out of Lymington, across to the Isle of Wight and back. After a champagne and pasta lunch anchored off of the Isle of Wight it was my turn to take the helm and as there was no wind we had to travel under power.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Journal
Having a quiet walk in Coventry and swimming pigs
By the time I checked into a hotel on the outskirts of Coventry I had been travelling and working with the same group of people for about four weeks. Travelling together in the same car, working in the same offices, staying at the same hotels, and sharing meals. Sometimes, for me at least, it is just essential for the preservation of my own sanity to break away and do something on my own. A chance to take in some fresh air, stretch my legs, look back on the day and think about home.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Wander
A masterpiece of a car book to enjoy
While staying at the DoubleTree Hilton at Milton Common near Oxford I found this glamorous looking book in the library. It was not a difficult choice to make between Macauley's History of England Volume 1 or this glamorous tome. How could any car lover not be tempted by that front cover picture of an Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato? I was, and enjoyed sitting in a quiet lounge at the hotel with a glass of malt doing just that.
By Alan Russell2 years ago in Wheel
