Tony Hatfield's Retired Ramblings

Cheerio Austin!

Our last evening in Austin and it was an essential visit to the Elephant Room on Congress Ave, one of the city's premier music venues. On the menu, The Jazz Pharoahs. The Jazz Pharaohs Thanks to JP for the Photo!... Read more →

Only in America

Drink the booze, buy the gun and rob the bank.....it's all too easy. A strip mall outside Austin. Click anywhere on the picture to view a larger image. Read more →

Austin Ramblings #2

Dr. Birthday seems to visit me earlier each year. Yesterday was his 58th visit! As a celebration, I wanted to sample some of Texas' finest food. Having spent half an hour looking here I decided to forgo the French restaurants... Read more →

Austin Ramblings#1

A few months ago Dubya told his fellow Americans that they had to become less dependent of foreign oil. I could tell him how to save many tankers full of the stuff. In Texas where the winter temperature rarely seems... Read more →

Rambler's Christmas

Mr and Mrs Rambler are spending this Christmas and New Year in the United States. At the moment we are with in-laws in Austin TX. Austin is an oasis of liberals- an expression not to be confused with any definition... Read more →

Go, Vic, Go

Vic, cycle and Lycra-less My old chum, Vic Laffey, no doubt in a moment of madness, volunteered to do this cycle ride for charity. He starts this Saturday from Berlin, and in order to collect his sponsorship cash must keep... Read more →

Overheard@Stansted

I'm sure we've all, at one time or another, been embarrassed by the behaviour of some of our countrymen -and women- whilst on holiday. It's usually fuelled by booze. As we disembarked from our Ryanair flight from Palermo-as usual on... Read more →

Sicily 2006

The Saline south of Mozia Another week spent on the North West coast of Sicily. This time our visit coincided with the elections for the Regional Assembly and for the Presidency of Sicily. So I could indulge not only my... Read more →

"Watch the Wall"

In either the first or second year in my secondary school, I can remember being hauled off on a field trip along the Northumbrian coast from Craster to Dunstanburgh Castle. It was a foul winter's day and as I've never... Read more →

Venice 2006

Although Anne and I have been to Venice many times since we fell in love with the place twenty years ago, we’ve intentionally avoided both Easter- really too busy, summer- too humid, and the Carnival. This year for some reason... Read more →