The singing of sad songs has been associated with Morecambe in Lancashire for hundreds of years. These dirges were usually sung when someone had been drowned in the dangerous waters of Morecambe Bay. These songs were sung so frequently that a competition was organized to see who could sing the saddest song of all. This contest reached its zenithContinue reading “Country and Western Singing Contest”
Category Archives: fiction
Dry Stone Walling Contest
“I can build a better stone wall than you can,” “My wall is straighter than yours,” and “My stone wall is longer than yours” were all familiar brags in 16th Century Yorkshire when the farmers were building walls around Littondale to enclose their sheep and cows. After 100 years of controversy and shoving between rival wall builders a manContinue reading “Dry Stone Walling Contest”
The Frisby Waterless Murders
“You’re telling me people pay to investigate the murder of someone who’s not actually dead? People pay to play at being us? For fun?” Detective Sergeant Rod Barnes smiled at the incredulity in the voice of his boss, Colin Knowles. Barnes thought Knowles must have led a sheltered life if he’d never heard of murder/mysteryContinue reading “The Frisby Waterless Murders”
Dancing around the Windmill
The concept of the Village Idiot is a long-held tradition that was refined to its highest degree in rural Somerset in the 1300s. At that time the position of Village Idiot was an official job title and had a salary, though it was paid in acorns. Both men and women could apply for the role in the annual DancingContinue reading “Dancing around the Windmill”
Manton Rempville Murders
Detective Sergeant Rod Barnes surveyed the remains of Manton Rempville monastery with incredulity. He’d heard that 100,000 pounds had been spent on preserving the ruins and he couldn’t understand why anyone would do such a thing. Ruins were ruins for a reason. The natural order of things, in Barnes’s mind at least, was gradual decayContinue reading “Manton Rempville Murders”
HASTE – Bonfire Night
My name is Brian Snell and I am a representative of the Health and Safety Time Executive or HASTE for short. I have a kept a diary of my more interesting experiences as it was important to document my findings for HASTE just in case they were sued for negligence by the people I met.Continue reading “HASTE – Bonfire Night”
Armour Making in Ashby-de-la-Zouch
The tradition of making armour for battle goes back thousands of years. Strapping leather together to make a strong material resistant to bronze sword blows was probably the first type of armour that was ever created. The leather was replaced by chain mail and then this was superseded by full suits of armour made fromContinue reading “Armour Making in Ashby-de-la-Zouch”
St Andrews Seed Sessions
Most people think nothing of it – spitting out a seed, flicking a discarded pip from a trouser leg, or squeezing a cherry stone between your fingers until it scoots into the distance are regarded as mundane activities. However in St Andrews in Fife they are celebrated in style at the annual seed sessions inContinue reading “St Andrews Seed Sessions”
Ludlow Acorn Catching Contest
Autumn is the time when items fall from trees with great regularity. Acorns and conkers can be caught in great numbers. In Ludlow in the first week of October there’s a festival that tests contestant’s catching stamina to the full. This is the Ludlow Catching Acorns and Conkers Festival a contest that takes place betweenContinue reading “Ludlow Acorn Catching Contest”
The Lady in the Lake Contest
It’s hard to say how this contest began or when – some people say it’s proof that King Arthur was from the Scottish Borders region; others believe that the contest only dates from the 1600s when women were thrown into lakes to determine whether they were a witch. The Lady of the Lake contest takesContinue reading “The Lady in the Lake Contest”
Julian Worker Fiction Writing 