The Bed of Procrustes - a tale from the dust of Greek myth, yet one that rises from the roadside like a grim milestone marking the journey of civilisation. Procrustes, that innkeeper of cruelty, the highwayman with hospitality on his lips and butchery in his hands, offered travellers a night’s rest on his iron bed. … Continue reading The Bed of Procrustes: Where Truth Is Made to Fit
Category: My Words
Thoughts and memories-a-plenty!
The Man of the Crowd: The Ghost of the City
There are some stories that seem to have been written not on paper but directly upon the human condition, and Poe’s The Man of the Crowd is one of them. It's the story of a nameless narrator, recovering from illness, who sits in a London coffeehouse and watches the endless river of humanity pass by. At first, … Continue reading The Man of the Crowd: The Ghost of the City
The Cat Who Hissed at the World: Sue Catwoman (1955 – 2025)
Sue Catwoman (Sue Lucas), c.1977.Photographed by Ray Stevenson.Publicly circulated press image from the early London punk scene. Every generation breeds a handful of figures who seem to slip through the net of time - too wild for the archives, too vivid for mere memory. Sue Catwoman was one of those rare creatures: a woman who … Continue reading The Cat Who Hissed at the World: Sue Catwoman (1955 – 2025)
Blind Pew: A Study in Terror and Vision
Newell Convers Wyeth, Blind Pew (1911).A haunting illustration for Stevenson’s Treasure Island: the blind beggar strides down the moonlit lane, stick thrust forward, half-frail and half-fearsome - fate itself tapping towards us. In another life, back at home, whenever something went awry - a cup chipped, a tool gone missing, a mystery mischief no one … Continue reading Blind Pew: A Study in Terror and Vision
The Archbishopric of Canterbury: From Augustine’s Cloak to Sarah’s Mitre
This piece has been a long time in gestation. Ever since Justin Welby announced his departure, I've found myself jotting notes, revisiting history, and anticipating the inevitable turn the Church of England would take. Today’s announcement is therefore no surprise - only the confirmation of what many of us had already suspected. It seemed fitting, … Continue reading The Archbishopric of Canterbury: From Augustine’s Cloak to Sarah’s Mitre
Wording 