God save the Queen
A part of what it is to be British died today. I will miss her. © Ian Kirke 2022 & title photograph @ianjkirke
History in the walls: Ronnie Kray and me
A few decades ago, in a time that is now a relic of my former life, walls were both symbolic and vital. I was a cop, but there were times when it was perhaps more advisable to deny that fact – an enforced yet necessary barrier – especially when I was undercover or off duty … Read more
Courage
Your natural glow has been dimmed by the darkness, but your courage and bravery pulses strobe like and so powerfully that you have made me blink. The path ahead will be tough, treacherous and at times terrifying, but you will make it. We have some important dates to fulfil – Meadow Lane, Sydney, and Orlando … Read more
UK: utter Madness.
MADNESS – Windsor Racecourse, UK: Friday 26th August 2023. According to the Oxford English dictionary, madness is defined as “crazy or stupid behaviour that could be dangerous,” and for those of you looking in on the United Kingdom at the moment, our once stable country has become the very essence of this statement. Our zombie … Read more
Cardiff Chronicles: advice from both sides of the air fence.
Like many speedway fans, up and down the country and beyond, I had decided to mark the welcome return of the FIM British Grand Prix to The Principality with a long weekend stay in glorious South Wales. Based in Swansea, the buzz of the Cardiff carnival on Saturday was only a short train journey away. … Read more
A visit to the clap clinic; applauding safe sex.
Looking back on my sex life, I will admit that I was an awfully late developer. I recall sex education lessons at school in the dim and distant past – the titters, uncomfortable swinging of legs under the wooden chairs, the standard video of a cross-sectional female – with one leg ─ and animated sperm … Read more
I was only joking …
If I am brutally honest, I find most people irritating. For the whole of my adult life I have worked with, lived with, and been around people. I am beginning to believe that a period of solitude on a remote island or being totally lost in a crowded place where English isn’t the native language … Read more
Drama, deluge, and decisions … a night of intrigue in Manchester.
On a balmy Monday evening, as the saying goes, all roads led to The National Speedway Stadium, Kirkmanshulme Lane, Manchester, for the season’s showcase event: The 2022 Sports Insure British Final. Okay, my weather App didn’t conceal the fact that there was a more than fifty percent chance of rain, but nothing could be worse … Read more
Banged up: a mother’s story
A lifetime ago, aged 19, I joined the police with, if I’m totally honest, a principal yearning to be looked after. As an employer this respected profession gave me everything – job security, a decent wage, prospects, status, companionship, a roof over my head, and identity. My self-worth, for an insecure guy lacking in worldly … Read more
Be bold ─ go bald!
Looking back, when I had hair I wasn’t that adventurous with its care or presentation. I usually used whatever was available bath-side and simply combed it from a side parting on the left to the right. Yet I kind of felt pretty attached to it and didn’t really appreciate it until I discovered that I … Read more