My mum, Ina, when she was about 60, wrote an account of her childhood, 'Ina's Story' which I have posted here. Later in her life she wrote more about Newburgh in Scotland where she spent her summers in the late 1940s and '50s. The rest of the year she was at boarding school in Swansea while her parents were away as...

Can't leave rap alone, the game needs me 'Til we grow beards, get weird and disappear Into the mountains, nothin' but clowns down here I. Judging A Book By Its Cover The most treasured object in my home is the cheapest bookshelf I could find. It has been overflowing for quite some time, despite my efforts to only...

The fifth post on My 100 Top Tracks I listen to jazz more than any genre. Probably more than 60/70% of my listening is jazz. This isn't reflected in my top 100 tracks which are as much a timeline to my life as anything, and rock and pop dominated this from the 1970s onwards. But a few years ago I was talking to my...

The fourth post on My 100 Top Tracks. Midnight Train to Georgia was an early release on the Buddah label after Gladys Knight switched to them from Motown. It's an obvious song of hers to choose but I love it. Another train song. A guy goes to LA to pursue stardom but the place proves 'too much for the man' and 'he...

Separately from her notebook containing 'Ina's Story' about her childhood, including one part on Newburgh where she spent her summer holidays as a child, my mum wrote, much later I think, about Newburgh again, specifically 37 High Street. Her and her sisters went to a boarding school in Swansea spending summers in...

Continued from Part 8 In this final part 9 Ina talks about the golden moments and kindness she experienced in the summer holidays she spent in Newburgh in Fife with Auntie Edie and Uncle George in the many years her parents were abroad. Golden Moments Most golden moments took place in Scotland. I loved the...

Continued from Part 7 In this part Ina goes on to talk about books and music. As to the place of books in my life - how they became so important to me I don't know. They were not readily accessible - there was a small library in which there were very old, dark, hard-backed books. One I remember was called 'Eric or...

Continued from Part 6 In this part Ina goes on to talk about politics and social issues. But politics were never mentioned really. In the VIth form in General Studies we discussed current affairs as we were told about them from time to time. The Head might bring in a newspaper - I think the Telegraph. We clubbed...

Continued from Part 5. In this part Ina discusses the role of religion in her childhood. Religion was the thing. We had prayers every evening. When I was proficient enough I played the piano for the hymn we would sing. I also took week about with Joy playing at assemblies. To alleviate boredom we would do tricks. A...

Continued from Post 4 After discussing her family in the last part Ina goes back to talking about Swansea and boarding school. We did our share of the domestic work. There was a duty roster. There was 'carry-in'. This was waiting on the tables - simply bringing in the trays of food to the dining room. We swept the...

Continued from Part 3 on Swansea and Boarding school. Ina digresses from her account of school in Swansea to talk more about her family, before going back to Swansea in the next part. Really I only met my sister [LM, Beth] after meals when we would look at the letter board. Our parents did write regularly, our...

Continued from Part 2 Going to Britain. Ina goes on to talk about her life at boarding school in Swansea after her parents had left her and Beth there and gone back to Peru with Agnes and Ruth. Because Beth was a year older she had a room with girls of her age and I with girls of my age. Dorothy and Grace Trotman,...