Thoughts from a Devon Sitting Room

Recording my life in diaries and photographs, from heady days as a student in London in the 1970โ€™s to being a pensioner on a low income today. My writing is a mixture of insight โ€“ from knowledge & experience โ€“ and history. I explore my professional and personal interests โ€“ energy & climate change, history, politics, music, film, food & drink… the list goes on!

THIS WEEK

No.8: Smoo Caves

2022: A glimpse inside Smoo caves near Durness in the far north-west of Scotland


  • Energy Vampires!

    No.96, Thursday, 12th. March 2026

    Every morning when I get out of bed the first thing I do is fill the kettle with sufficient water to make a mug of tea. The second thing I do is check my smart meter. It should register about ยฃ1.02, as it did this morning. But for the last two days the reading was ยฃ1.08. Six pence may not seem a great deal of money, but it most certainly is to a pensioner on a low income.

    Anyway, I had written a few paragraphs on standing charges, base load and the energy cost of wi-fi but decided those were not topics for my Morning Thoughts. I might write them up in a Guide to Energy at Home series.

    (more…)

  • Mike Absalom, The Listener & Infra-red Mapping

    A day in the life of a student: Thursday, 11th. March 1976

    Despite the student grant providing for necessities only I found myself buying two weekly papers. I always remember the NME – New Musical Express – essential reading for many years to keep up with everything on the music scene. I often managed to complete the crossword – the only crossword I remember having a go at in those days.

    I had almost forgotten the other weekly – The Listener. I have fond memories of that paper and I wish it was still around today. A BBC weekly that focussed mainly on politics, history and the arts, with writers like George Orwell, Sylvia Plath, Bertrand Russell, T.S.Eliot and George Bernard Shaw. It was like reading Radio 4, my constant companion now but not in the 1970โ€™s. My wireless listening was almost exclusively Radio 1 and John Peel.

    The Listener was 15p and for context a pint of beer was 20p. I also occasionally bought HiFi for Pleasure – 30p – The Geographical (magazine, not be confused with the National Geographic) at 45p and now and again a Guardian at 10p.

    (more…)

Recent posts

So who is Colin Anderson?

A Devonian with stories to tell and a love of history, science, philosophy, environment, & entertainment.

An increasing number of people I know are either down the rabbit hole or caught in its event horizon, which I find distressing. I prefer the real world and, like a frantic sponge, I cannot help but soak up knowledge, insight & quality.

Which I like to share…

USA 2016 travelogue