Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
Visit the post for more. | Continue reading
The Peasant Wedding is a 1567 painting by the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painter and printmaker Pieter Bruegel the Elder, one of his many depicting peasant life. It is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Pieter Bruegel the Elder enjoyed painting peasants and different … | Continue reading
The Peasant Wedding is a 1567 painting by the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painter and printmaker Pieter Bruegel the Elder, one of his many depicting peasant life. It is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. Pieter Bruegel the Elder enjoyed painting peasants and different … | Continue reading
In 1967, Mike D’Abo wrote the song ‘Handbags and Gladrags’, trying to get over the point that fashionable clothes and designer labels are not the way to find happiness. That same year it was recorded by Chris Farlowe, a British singer with a powerful voice who is almost forgotten … | Continue reading
In 1967, Mike D’Abo wrote the song ‘Handbags and Gladrags’, trying to get over the point that fashionable clothes and designer labels are not the way to find happiness. That same year it was recorded by Chris Farlowe, a British singer with a powerful voice who is almost forgotten … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-fifth part of a fiction serial, in 791 words. Once she got into the routine at Cragie House, Hettie settled in well. She wrote to Edward every week, as telephone calls were discouraged except in emergencies. The return address was obviously imaginary, but by so … | Continue reading
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 28 August, 1833 – 17 June, 1898 was an English painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’s style and subject matter. Burne-Jones worked with William Morris as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co in the desi … | Continue reading
The Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, in 1986. The band consists of Nicky Wire and cousins James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore. They form a key part of the 1990s Welsh Cool Cymru cultural movement. Many … | Continue reading
Stevie has taken time away from blogging, and is publishing a book of short stories soon. It is available to pre order. You can find the link on her site. | Continue reading
Julie found some more photos of Ollie taken on her phones. No matter how many photos we have of him, it will never be enough. Baby Ollie, the first week he was here. Sleeping in a shaft of sunlight, enjoying the warmth. He was about two years old. | Continue reading
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom. Born in Dronryp, the Netherlands, and trained at the Royal Academy of Antwerp, Belgium, he moved to London in 1870 and spent the rest of his life there. A painter of mostly classical subjects, h … | Continue reading
A sunny Sunday afternoon saw me out for a walk around Hoe Rough nature reserve with a camera. By contrast, it is pouring with rain this morning, incredibly windy, and barely 8C. The photos can all be enlarged by clicking them, which will take you to Flickr. The Gorse flowers are … | Continue reading
Continuing the series of my love for details in famous paintings, here is the 1852 painting by John Millais representing the sweetheart of Hamlet singing before she drowns. John Millais was a founder member of a group of Victorian artists known as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. … | Continue reading
This song has featured on my blog previously, but it has a personal connection for me that never goes away. In 1981 I was 29 years old. Life was going well, and I was enjoying my job as an EMT in London. I saw the band Japan performing this song on a late-night music TV … Continu … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-fourth part of a fiction serial, in 745 words. The train journey seemed to take forever. It involved changing trains twice, and even travelling part of the way on a bus, due to a bridge being damaged by bombing. There were no spare seats, but Hettie chanced lea … | Continue reading
Whatever you think of him, there’s no denying that Prince was something of a musical maestro, whether you ever liked his music, or not. As long ago as 1984, he released a song that I bought the same day I heard it. I still think it’s his best song, although ‘Nothing Compares 2U’ … | Continue reading
The Lady of Shalott was painted in 1888 by the English artist John William Waterhouse. It is a representation of the ending of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s 1832 poem of the same name. It depicts a scene from Tennyson’s poem in which the poet describes the plight and the predicament of … | Continue reading
There is no doubt that the 1970s was one of the worst decades in history for so-called ‘fashionable menswear’. I might have had suits with lapels that were too wide, but I am pleased to say that I wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing anything like these. Why is he holding a dea … | Continue reading
Frederic William Burton was from Ireland, but worked extensively in London where he later became the director of the National Gallery. This was painted in 1864, and depicts Hellelil and Hildebrand inside the turret of a castle. The detail is amazing, and the emotion captured is p … | Continue reading
From the very first time I heard them, I loved Earth Wind & Fire. They threw every genre into the mix, combining Disco with Funk and Soul, even a hint of Jazz or a big power ballad, sometimes in the same song. To watch them on video was a delight. They had so many band … Continue … | Continue reading
This twenty-third part of a fiction serial, in 784 words. By the middle of nineteen forty-two, the whole world seemed to be involved in the war. Russia had been invaded, the Americans had been attacked by Japan the prvious year, and in south-east Asia and the Pacific, the war was … | Continue reading
After all the cat cartoons I have been posting, I though it was only fair to feature some dogs. | Continue reading
Following on from number 22, here is another song from the film ‘Saturday Night Fever’ that doesn’t feature the falsetto vocals of the Bee Gees. Yvonne Elliman is a Hawaiian musical theatre singer and actress who featured on the soundtrack of the film. She began her career in Lon … | Continue reading
The vast continent of Africa still remains a mystery to many people around the world. These four maps will hopefully serve to interest and educate. The names the countries were known by before colonisation by outsiders. The literal meaning of the names of African countries. The o … | Continue reading
In 1978, the film ‘Saturday Night Fever’ was released in the UK. It became an overnight sensation, made a huge star of John Travolta, and gave the Bee Gees a platform for many worldwide hit songs. I went to the cinema to see it at the age of 26, and I thought it was great. … Cont … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-second part of a fiction serial, in 811 words. While for many the start of the war became the ‘phony war’, things were very different for Hettie at work. There were more agents to deal with, from the coast of France, all the way to Norway. With warship movement … | Continue reading
Always good to see an improvement on the previous month. Makes blogging feel even more worthwhile. The March report from WordPress. Monthly report Here’s how beetleypete.com performed last month. Visitors 2,566 ↑ 2,342 (1,046%) Views 9,791 ↑ 1,561 (19%) Likes 4,016 ↑ 807 (25%) Co … | Continue reading
No apologies for featuring a song that has often appeared on my blog. From one of the best vocal talents I have seen in my lifetime, singing one of the best songs I have ever heard. This is heartbreak personified, with lyrics anyone can identify with. It is only 18 years ago, yet … | Continue reading
Lots more cat-related humour. Cat owners will understand. | Continue reading
“I need an AK-47 and a Trump Bible, where do I find them?” “Aisle 11, sir”. | Continue reading
If I ever win the lottery, I want to buy a house big enough to have all of these quirky things. A Shark Shower. Helicopter Refrigerator. Igloo Bed. Spaghetti Sofa. Submarine Bath. Ship Bath. I don’t have any children, but would push someone else’s child around in this! | Continue reading
Chilly, dull, and raining today. Time for some funnies! | Continue reading
Sticking with Disco at the moment, and a 1979 song I really liked from someone often called ‘The Queen Of Disco’, Donna Summer. It starts off slowly, then builds into all the familiar Disco elements. Someone found a letter you wrote me on the radio And they told the world just ho … | Continue reading
This is the twenty-first part of a fiction serial, in 772 words. By the middle of nineteen thirty-eight, it had become obvious to Hettie that there would be another war with Germany. As politicians tried to appease Hitler and most people went about their everyday lives almost obl … | Continue reading
This is another Disco song from the 1970s. If you don’t like Disco, best to skip the post. Sylvester James was an openly gay and often cross-dressed singer who performed in American vocal groups from the early 1970s. I had never heard of him until he released the solo single ‘You … | Continue reading
Spring is teasing us in Beetley this year. It got warmer, but with that came heavy rain. Then it got brighter, but with that came ridiculously strong winds. Today is a mix of everything. Gales, sunny spells, rain forecast for later. So much mud on my daily walks, I had no alterna … | Continue reading
Time to head back to the age of Disco! If you hated Disco, no need to read on. In 1978, I was 26 years old, and if I had enough to drink on a night out, I managed to do something resembling dancing. This was one of my favourites, and it still makes my toes … Continue reading Song … | Continue reading
Today (Saturday) was the warmest day of the year so far, reaching 21C. Despite the warmth, there were dull skies and very strong winds. We decided to go to the East Coast of Norfolk for the afternoon, leaving at midday and heading for the small resort of Caister-On-Sea. However, … | Continue reading
Squeeze are an English pop rock band that came to prominence in the United Kingdom during the new wave period of the late 1970s, and continued recording in the 1980s, 1990s and 2010s. In the UK, their singles “Cool for Cats”, “Up the Junction”, and “Labelled with Love” were top-t … | Continue reading
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This is the twentieth part of a fiction serial, in 751 words. By the end of that year, a lot had happened. The king had abdicated because of his love for Mrs Simpson, and George the Sixth was now king. In Spain, it seemed that Franco was winning. More volunteers were going there … | Continue reading
Another special for the cat lovers. | Continue reading
Sticking with another 1980s pop record, very much the sound of an era in Britain. This was never meant to be ‘serious music’, there were plenty of other bands taking themselves seriously enough at the time. However, it was a good dose of strong vocals, slick production, and songs … | Continue reading
My thanks to fellow blogger Debbie D for the link to this funny video. https://twitter.com/DebbieDoglady | Continue reading
A ginger cat made from orange segments. Bunny made from strawberries. Crab made from oranges. Hot dog dancing girls. Strawberry teddy bear. Spaghetti dog. | Continue reading
A fun record from 1989 that was showcased by a great feel-good video. I never bought it, nor anything else the band recorded. But I loved to listen to it on the car radio, and still can’t help smiling whenever I hear it now. Some really good lyrics too, including “I got me a car … | Continue reading