JOHN MARTIN

When Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Germany in 1770, I wonder how many people would have predicted he would grow up to be one of the most famous composers the world has known. I wonder, too, how many people would have predicted that one day he would cause a kerfuffle in my house? Not… Continue reading The mother of all kerfuffles

Jeremiah Spikehead could hardly believe it when he was selected to play volleyball at the Sydney Olympics. It was a dream come true: his chance to represent his country at his chosen sport. He got a big shock, however, the day he turned up at the venue marked down in his program for day one… Continue reading Village boy becomes king of the castle

A work colleague has a friend who, being without a TV remote, changes channels with a stick. No kidding. He likes to watch telly in bed and wields the three-foot stick to change channels so he does not have to move too many muscles. Can you imagine that? Have we become that sad? Until today I never… Continue reading More funny than you can poke a stick at

I have a Swiss Army pocketknife so, um, I have to ask: what is it that the members of the Swiss Army actually do? Apparently, the Swiss Army knife was invented for the army more than a century ago to help soldiers assemble their rifles. I read on the web that the Swiss Army today… Continue reading On the cutting edge with the Swiss Army

There were no American Indians in the vicinity of our new house in Newnham when I was six in 1964. I know this because I had a large Indian identification wall-chart hanging in my new bedroom. It had pictures of all kinds of Indians – including Sioux, Apache, Cherokee and Cheyenne – which came in… Continue reading Cowboys, Indians, Friends, and Plovers