Alan Russell
Bio
When you read my words they may not be perfect but I hope they:
1. Engage you
2. Entertain you
3. At least make you smile (Omar's Diaries) or
4. Think about this crazy world we live in and
5. Never accept anything at face value
Stories (181/0)
Omar's Diary for Wednesday 15th March 2023
Man Servant was recounting how several years ago before the Cheltenham Festival became as big an occasion as it is now he went there with a friend from the hotel he was working in at the time. He couldn't drive but his friend and a car and said she didn't mind. They had a good run from Maidenhead on a cold morning. Just outside Cheltenham they stopped at a viewpoint overlooking the town and got out of the car to enjoy it.
By Alan Russell16 days ago in Journal
Omar's Diary for Tuesday 14th March 2023
The seven races on today's programme are (with first place money in brackets) 1330 Skybet Supreme Novices Hurdle (Grade 1) (£75,964) 1410 Sporting Life Arkle Challenge (Grade 1) (£98,473) 1450 Ultima Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (£70,338) 1530 Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy (Grade 1) (£253,215) 1610 Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle (Registered as The David Nicholson Hurdle Grade 1) (£72,024) 1650 Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Registered as The Fred Winter Premier Handicap) (£45016) 1730 Well Child National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockey's Novices Chase (Grade 2) (£60,388)
By Alan Russell17 days ago in Journal
The tragedy of the world in tears
This morning, Saturday 11th March 2023, we paid a visit to the nearby cathedral city of Salisbury, distance of 17 miles. We only went for a walk around and to pick up some shopping we had forgotten to put on our delivery order last night.
By Alan Russell19 days ago in Journal
The Shredding Blade
For those of you not familiar with them, a "Shredding Blade" is an essential piece of kit for horse owners. They are also known as "Leicester Blades" after where they are made. They consist of a strip of flexible steel about a foot long one side of which is serrated like the teeth of a saw. It is used for scraping out and scraping off dead hair and scurf from a horse's coat at the end of winter to make way for their summer coats to come through.
By Alan Russellabout a month ago in Petlife
Diddly Squat vs Planning Authorities
The above picture popped up on my social media feed, Facebook, earlier this week. Unfortunately, I did not have any Gaviscon in the house at the time I saw it to ameliorate the visceral reaction to the man let alone the reason why someone should start a petition on his behalf.
By Alan Russellabout a month ago in Journal
A heated discussion before "luncheon"
At a squeeze it would have been possible to sit five around the table in the bay window. That would have been three on the bench built into the wall under the window and two on stools. Apart from sitting at the bar near the till it was the prime seat in the saloon bar. The table top was covered in polished copper which caught the sun on clear days and made the area bright and cheerful. And even better, under the entire bench built into the wall was a discrete radiator.
By Alan Russellabout a month ago in Journal
Fear knocked at the door...
These wise words were originally gilded on to this fireplace by my Grandfather, Theo Janku, in the Hinds Head at Bray. He worked there as the sommelier from the early 1940's until he retired in the late 1960's. The words still look as fresh today as the day he printed them and are as fresh and clear as I remember them when I worked there in 1973/74.
By Alan Russell2 months ago in Journal
Omar's Diary for the rest of January 2023
I am pleased to announce that following a wait of more than a year, including two cancellations, that Lady Servant’s frustrations have been somewhat assuaged by her undergoing her operation on 25th January. Her progress towards a recovery is now underway.
By Alan Russell2 months ago in Journal
Starting out from Hove to Brighton - Part 1
When the great writer Daniel Defoe visited what we now know as Brighton while writing his "A Tour Through the Whole Island of Britain" during the first quarter of the 18th century it was called "Bright Helmston" or more commonly "Bredhempston". He described it as:
By Alan Russell2 months ago in Wander
A jolly jape with a jolly ball
One of our horses, the delightful and effervescent Benney, had to be kept in a stable on box rest for a few days to recover from an injury. To ameliorate his boredom we bought him a Jolly Ball in the shape of a tetrahedron. It is made of highly robust plastic which he has dented but not broken. It has a hole in it through which treats like grass nuts can be put in and from which the horse can release them by moving it around the floor of the stable.
By Alan Russell2 months ago in Petlife
