Category Archives: From The Dabbler Archives

Across America by Greyhound Bus – 1970

Posted on September 2, 2020 by dispatchesfromtheformernewworld

Fifty years ago this month I arrived in New York on a student charter flight and traveled to San Francisco on a Greyhound bus. This is my account of the trip, first published in The Dabbler in June 2012. The … Continue reading →

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The Dream of an English Garden

Posted on April 1, 2019 by dispatchesfromtheformernewworld

Spring is here at last and my thoughts turn to the garden. Weeds are already beginning their annual takeover before I’ve even finished cleaning up the dead remains of summer past. A good time to reprise my garden dream first … Continue reading →

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On Thanksgiving and Guy Fawkes Day

Posted on November 21, 2018 by dispatchesfromtheformernewworld

One of the oddest questions I’ve been asked since moving to the U.S. is “Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in England?” Yes, this was a real question. I resisted the temptation to answer “Yes, we celebrate that the Puritans left and … Continue reading →

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My Love Affair with Gerard Manley Hopkins

Posted on September 3, 2018 by dispatchesfromtheformernewworld

Last Saturday I watched the funeral service for Senator John McCain at the National Cathedral. I really tuned in because I wanted to hear President Obama’s eulogy, but I was soon drawn in by the beauty and dignity of the … Continue reading →

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The Amazing True History of Yankee Doodle

Posted on July 3, 2018 by dispatchesfromtheformernewworld

To celebrate the July 4th holiday I reprise the amazing true story of an American patriotic song, first published in The Dabbler on June 3rd 2015. Could it be that Yankee Doodle Dandy started out as a British insult? In … Continue reading →

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Church and State, Skirt and Flag

Posted on May 17, 2018 by dispatchesfromtheformernewworld

For the benefit of new readers who did not follow me in my Dabbler days, this is the first in a series of favorite posts from the Dabbler Archives.  This piece first appeared in The Dabbler on August 31st 2011. … Continue reading →

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Surprised by Patriotism

Posted on July 3, 2016 by dispatchesfromtheformernewworld

  To celebrate July 4th I dig into The Dabbler archives for a piece I wrote some years ago recording my gradual acceptance of the American holiday and some memorable celebrations over the years. One July 4th I was surprised … Continue reading →

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