Sam Redlark

image generated by Craiyon Atkinson Row was like two different streets that had been forced to cohabit. Along one side, the living rooms of a pre-war terrace blazed with festive cheer, like the open doors of an advent calender. The modernist student hall of residence, that loomed opposite, was a garish assembly of giant Tetris bricks that had been improperly slotted together. It had been mostly vacated for the season and only a few lights were on. Jake Denham paced along the middle of the road with his hoodie pulled down over his eyes. A girl with wavy ginger hair shouted at him theatrically from one of the upper floors: “You boy, what day is this?” Without pausing, he silently extended his middle finger in her direction. On the fringes of the hospital parking lot, a pair of Christmas songs, blaring from separate cars, briefly skirmished for his attention. The lobby was unusually quiet. An elderly couple were leaning over the counter, where a receptionist, in a spotty blouse, sat t...

This is my response to a question that appeared on the Notes & Queries page of The Guardian website on 18th December, 2022. The Guardian is apparently no longer happy to host my comments on their site, so it is appearing here instead. This blog is obviously not affiliated with The Guardian. Its reference to a question that appeared in Notes & Queries is presented here under the terms of fair use. ~ Why is it OK to sing Christmas carols in the weeks leading up to Christmas, but not in the weeks following? image generated by Craiyon When I last visited Evelyn Kaye, her world had shrunk to a single, low-ceilinged room that was more like a cave. The curtains were drawn against the winter evening. Her doctor was of the opinion that she would not survive to see the light return to its June zenith. A kitten played in the flickers of shadow that were cast by fireplace onto the flagstone floor and the dust ripples made by the stiff broom-head. When she dozed, the young cat played on the...

Crossposted to r/Imaginary London (This article was written in late September, 2022, predating the amendments to the 1953 Mars Act, which will become law in the UK at the end of March 2023) ~ image generated by Craiyon “The problem is, this year, we had what the weathermen call a red Summer,” explains Tim Sandry. “Very hot and very dry. It always brings the Mars weed out.” He loops the long strap of the broad-headed rake around his wrist, then launches it partway across the river. It lands horizontally on a spongy morass of red Martian weed that has completely clogged the surface along this stretch of The Wandle, partially damming the channel and resulting in a dangerous rise in the water level upstream. Drawing-in the strap, raises the wooden handle, at which point the short, sharp prongs bite down through the fibrous tangle. With a considerable effort, that is accompanied by a serpentine motion of the rake head, he is eventually able to detach a small section of the weed-mass and dra...

This is my response to a question that appeared on the Notes & Queries page of The Guardian website on 11th December, 2022. The Guardian is apparently no longer happy to host my comments on their site, so it is appearing here instead. This blog is obviously not affiliated with The Guardian. Its reference to a question that appeared in Notes & Queries is presented here under the terms of fair use. ~ Would airport security be less efficient if the people passing through were treated politely? image generated by Craiyon At London Heathrow Airport, just inside the entrance to Terminal 4, there is a square grate in the concourse. It measures no more than a foot and a half in width. I know this for certain because I once brought one of my grandmother's tape measures to the airport with me. If you have ever visited that part of Heathrow, you have probably walked past the grate without even realising. It is to the right of the big WHSmiths, as you enter. When you stand in the middl...

This is my response to a question that appeared on the Notes & Queries page of The Guardian website on 4th December, 2022. The Guardian is apparently no longer happy to host my comments on their site, so it is appearing here instead. This blog is obviously not affiliated with The Guardian. Its reference to a question that appeared in Notes & Queries is presented here under the terms of fair use. ~ What do birds do with their spare time? image generated by Craiyon “They are usually quite easy to spot at this time of year. I'm not sure where they've all gone,” said Delacoe, apologetically. “Returned to the Crimea, maybe,” ventured Wiggins. “Help with the war effort over there. I say, George, you must think us a crummy bunch of twitchers. You with all your gear, and the three of us sharing a pair of binoculars, and not a very good pair at that.” “When I was eking-out a living as a writer in South Dakota, I used to supplement my income as a hunter, chasing animal bounties,”...