Robert Stott
author

It was the tradition in my family to put the knife and fork together when finishing the meal. But this required a serious decision. At what angle should you place your knife and fork? Regrettably, in this crucial aspect, there appeared to be no formal rules. In our family of six, the choice was random. It was three knives and forks angled to the left, two to the right, and one straight ahead. There were further rules: no elbows on the table; don’t speak with your mouth full;

Section of a panel showing cupids cleaning clothes by an unknown 1st Century artist Granny McLeish was losing her memory. She was 78...

It’s all in the game. I married Alice, and a year later, my brother married Trudy. Trudy and Alice were of a similar age, and both were...

Apps increasingly infect the modern world. I have an ingrained dislike of an App. The world is App Happy. The app is a frightful example...

We had a road bridge next to our school, and you could walk along the riverbank under the bridge. Not many people went there. On...

The morning sun glints off my beautiful azure wings as I flutter over Mr Jenkins' back garden. It is a neat and tidy garden, but full of...

I am a tiny stream trickling over the wet sand across the beach to the sea. I trickle happily until some kids turn up with their buckets...

A Lost Connection: True Story. In 1969, I had travelled overland from London and was staying in a shabby hotel in Calcutta. I learnt that...

Character is Power   Meredith was a sad duck. The other ducks in the pond ignored her. The villagers shunned her. Whenever old Ebenezer...

It’s been said that I am vain. I can’t think why. I am the most modest of men and deserve honours from the king. Jane joins me at the...

My first job was with a major manufacturing company. The company canteen had two lunch shifts: twelve and one. I usually chose the one...

For many years I have despised the word, level. It lacks colour and feeling. This is due to its letters L, E and V. V stands on the one...

Anderson was the most stressed guinea pig in the street. For months, he had been stuck in his cage. Mister Wilson was kind to him and...

Another day dawned over the village of Breton de Ville in Normandy. Francoise set off to work behind the counter at the bakery. She was...

My first job was with a major manufacturing company. The company canteen had two lunch shifts: twelve and one. I usually chose the one...

Pic Neil Palmer, Wikimedia Since school, the study of ancient Rome, Stonehenge, Newtonian physics and muddy footprints has entranced me....

If I had a superpower, it would be the power to scratch my own back. Back scratching is popular amongst animals. Tigers have a special...

The Famous Ghost of Charter Hall Cody sat in the dark hallway, perfectly still, listening, observing the open door through which the...

Josh had been an active young man, he had been keen on outdoor pursuits and sport. But now, since his accident, he was confined to a...

There’s been a blackout. There’s no moon; it’s pitch black. I can see nothing. Feeling my way, I creep along the corridor to my apartment.