THE HONKEYMOON CAFE

Does a collector’s cabinet, which has no key, have anything valuable inside?  Does it have anything at all?  Would you destroy it to find out, or happily just dream about what it could be?  Imagining what might be inside could tell you more about the you than the cabinet. A collector’s cabinet came my way some years ago and it was cheap due to the owner having lost the key. It was late Georgian, eight drawers, mahogany, banding in various woods and a trophy inlay on the top comprising various classical elements. The seller had been left the cabinet by a close relative who had died without giving any clue as to the contents. The relative had enquired about the key but none of those who knew the deceased could help, they had never seen the drawers open, and so had no idea what was inside, if anything. On him had fallen the dilemma as to whether he should destroy the cabinet to find what was inside or sell it undamaged and imagine that it contained nothing of particular valu...

Our bellringers have at last acquired a fifth bell, but not everyone is happy about it.  Some think there is a problem, as the sound fades away there’s another sound that accompanies it,  one that sounds like a scream.  Our village church, like many others, is not as popular as it once was nevertheless the bellringers keep their hands in. Tuesday is when they practice before retiring to the Drum for yet more arm lifting. Campanology is a mystery to me though names like ‘triple bob major’ and ‘grandsire doubles’ should be found a place in the English language where they can be used more often.  It was an early Tuesday evening when I called in to see Dave the landlord regarding an equestrian print, when I noticed the bellringers settled around the table in the window. I could see there was an air of discomfort amongst what is usually a very jovial group. It was after Martin Jeffors described the group of bellringers one Sunday as a ‘band’, that I suggested it might be ...

When a villager who is known as a hoarder, suddenly disappears it sparks all sorts of rumour.  When his house is put up for sale and all the contents are to be cleared surely he must be dead.  When something is found in a piece of furniture the mystery is solved and a love story is revealed. If you are familiar with the novels of Thomas Hardy, you may remember in ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ the problems that arose when Bathsheba Everdene sends a Valentine’s card to William Boldwood as a jest, with the comment ‘Marry me’. It’s a juvenile prank but Boldwood, a mature single man of a certain age takes it seriously and becomes obsessed with Everdene after he is able to identify her as the valentine’s sender. Without a good measure of believability fictional stories can remain distant and the reader disconnected and eventually disinterested. We know the story to be ‘fantasy’, but most of us are prepared to ‘suspend our disbelief’ for the sake of entertainment. There will always be...