Thoughts from a Devon Sitting Room

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

50 YEARS OF PHOTOS

No.10: Dark Clouds over Westminster

Rather apt for current events! A photo taken on iPhone 6s in 2016.

  • Over-sensitive?

    Substack diary no.130: Tuesday, 21st. April 2026

    I feel strangely ill at ease after my pub visit yesterday. Good conversation, including on the films of Krzysztof Kielslowski – a name I could never type correctly without referring to a blu-ray cover – and continental film and television in general. Throw in a bit of local celtic history, consideration of radically different childhood experiences and memories of living in London and the end result was a warm feeling of an evening well spent. That and a mixture of London Pride and Jail Ale.

    Quite why I am ill at ease I am not entirely sure. Perhaps it is in part the fact that the evening is now a memory that may not be repeated. I think also it may have something to do with what could be regarded as a shortcoming in my character.

    (more…)
  • Who decides what is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty?

    Wednesday & Thursday, 24th/25th. March 1976

    Swansea field trip day 3

    Day 3 and our intrepid geographers make the short trip from Swansea University to the Gower Peninsula. We were here to gain a ‘feel’ for the place in a combination of coach tour and very windy hill walking.

    I am fairly sure that the objective for the day was to ensure we were told as little about the objective as possible, in order to ensure we would develop as objective a view of the landscape as possible. Does that make sense?

    Possibly not, but all became clear as we headed back, sooner than anticipated, to university. An early dinner followed by “…a bloody great long lecture on landscape evaluation…” according to my ever-so succinct diary entry.

    I was not expecting this, and I suspect most of us were now thinking that perhaps we should have paid more attention on our little tour. For some reason I found that many of my classmates seemed to be focussing a greater than usual degree of attention on me. Very nice, but why?

    (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

Scotland 2022 travelogue