Author Archives: John S

About John S

I'm blogging about the things I love: music, sport, culture, London, with some photos to illustrate aspects of our wonderful city. I’ve written a novel called “The Decision”, a futuristic political thriller, and first of a trilogy. I’m also the author of a book on music since the 1970s called “ I Was There - A Musical Journey” and a volume of poetry about youth, “Growin’ Up - Snapshots/ Fragments”. All available on Amazon and Kindle.

“Everybody Hurts” – Two songs that resonated on a June day this year

Posted on September 27, 2020 by John S

I was looking through notes I’d made on my phone earlier today. I came across this piece I’d written on 16 June with the intention of posting it with some photos I’d taken of central London by the river on … Continue reading →

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A Thames Journey: (4) From Oxford to Cholsey

Posted on September 10, 2020 by John S

This stretch of the river is about 26 miles long. Taking into account various diversions, we probably made it up to 30 at least, over three walks. As with previous walks in this series we completed them at different times, … Continue reading →

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Sportsthoughts (167) – Premier League predictions for 2020-21

Posted on September 6, 2020 by John S

Hot on the heels of my assessment of the season 2019-20, here come the predictions for 2020-21! Who knows what this season will be like with the pandemic far from over and with every chance of a resurgence of cases … Continue reading →

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Sportsthoughts (166) – The Premier League 2019-20 season (and my predictions)

Posted on August 28, 2020 by John S

It’s a month now since the 2019-20 Premier League season finally ended, after a hiatus of three months between 13 March and 17 June as a result of the pandemic. And it’s little more than two weeks before the 2020-21 … Continue reading →

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Canal and River Life: (4) The canal from Brentford to Elthorne

Posted on August 23, 2020 by John S

At first during lockdown, I was walking circuits of nearby Blondin Park – each one about two-thirds of a mile. Three would cover about two miles and get you through a BBC Football Daily podcast. Four or five would cover … Continue reading →

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Canal and River Life: (3) Close ups

Posted on August 11, 2020 by John S

This series is all about the wonders of nature. They are all around us; and having the canal and the Thames nearby simply improves the riches. The weather has helped too – for the most part during lockdown it has … Continue reading →

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Canal and River Life: (2) The Waterfowl

Posted on August 6, 2020 by John S

These last three months of walking along the River Brent/ Grand Union canal and the Thames have allowed me to follow the development of the natural world from day to day. And the birds that inhabit these spaces have been … Continue reading →

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Canal and River life: (1) Reflections of…

Posted on July 28, 2020 by John S

For the last couple of months I’ve spent a lot of time walking along the nearby Grand Union Canal and from time to time along the River Thames too. I’ve been absorbing the beauty of the natural world – the … Continue reading →

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My new novel: “Hope Rising”

Posted on July 27, 2020 by John S

I’ve just published my new novel “Hope Rising” on Amazon and Kindle. It’s the follow up to “The Decision” which came out in 2018. Like “The Decision” it is set in 2027, and it continues the story of the eco-socialist … Continue reading →

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50 Latitude moments, from 2012 to 2019

Posted on July 17, 2020 by John S

Yesterday we would have been crawling up the A12 to Henham Park in Suffolk, for the start of the latest Latitude festival. It would have been my ninth and Jon G’s tenth. But like so many things, it had to … Continue reading →

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