The Bluebottle Boys: Whitfields World of Wonder (Section 3 of 3) I bolted out of the shop, with my guitar in one hand and my newly acquired purchases in the other, making it to Grammer’s house just as the last glimmers of twilight faded away. It didn’t occur to me until later on, as Grammer […]
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The Bluebottle Boys – Chapter 11, Part 6 – Solihull, late March 1962: Whitfield’s World of Wonder (Section 2 of 3) “You spoke of marking a presence at Warstone Lane Cemetry,” the strange Shopkeeper began. “Officially that is the purpose of these mirrors.” “And unofficially?” “You think quickly, boy. Unofficially, the mirrors – that you […]
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The Bluebottle Boys – Solihull, 1962: Bethany, Part 1 (Section 1 of 4) [The featured picture is of the bridge over Ravenshaw Ford] I was no longer grounded; neither was Ian. Our parents lifted the sentence Friday evening. On Saturday morning, after I’d stashed my guitar in the boot of the Tippins’ Bentley, the driver […]
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The Bluebottle Boys – Chapter 10, Part 3 – Birmingham, 23 March 1962: Penance and Father Fitzgerald (Section 2 of 3) [The featured picture is of a rectory parlour much like the one Father Fitzgerald would have had.] “At the end of the hallway to the left is a small parlour,” Father Fitzgerald said. ” […]
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The Bluebottle Boys – Chapter 9, Part 2 – Edgbaston, mid-March 1962: Dares & Dispensation, Part 2 [The featured picture is the school library where Reggie finds Ian (and where Reggie and Stan had earlier learned the identity of Bethany’s “Uncle Henry”).] Mum had the old ’38 Minx, and not the Anglia, when we took […]
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The Bluebottle Boys: Holi, Holika, St. Patrick’s Day… and Trouble (Part 1) Perhaps Mum, Dad and I should have all gone off to Solihull, instead. Auntie Gene’s birthday was 17 March. We all could have celebrated and I well might have avoided all the problems that followed. But, Auntie Gene’s “special fella,” had taken her […]
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The Bluebottle Boys: Edgbaston – Monkeys on the Knees (Section 4 of 4) [Note: Since the story in this post ends at Reggie’s house, rather than at Ian’s, and since we’ve never really seen Reggie’s (or Stan’s) home, it seemed better to show that, rather than depict any portion of Ian’s house (we’ll return later). […]
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The Bluebottle Boys – Chapter 6, Part 5 – Birmingham & Edgbaston, Winter 1961-1962: The Seventh Seal [Notes: (1) Featured pix are: Antonius (the knight) playing chess with Death (upper left), Jof the Juggler having a heavenly vision with his wife (Mia) and child on the lower left. Both were pix from The Seventh Seal. […]
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The Bluebottle Boys – Chapter 6, Part 4 – Birmingham, Winter 1961-1962: February (section 2 of 3) I’d had my suspicions as far back as Christmas, when Auntie Gene’s “Jackie” doo had been longer. Hanging between the base of her neck and the top of her shoulder blades, so fouffed out it had almost resembled […]
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The Bluebottle Boys- Chapter 6, Part 1 — Edgbaston & Birmingham, Winter 1961-1962: December In mid December, Auntie Gene took me to see “The Young Ones,” with Robert Morley and Cliff Richard, the first of our monthly Friday night movie dates, where we went to “hipper” movies that Mum and Dad were willing to let […]
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