Tuesday 29 July 2008

Birthday Blog

This blog celebrates its first birthday today. What a time I've had. A Dorset Rhubarb Kiosk, a Gloucestershire Fire Extinguisher. An Essex Cinema, a Kent Moon Rocket. Bedford Vans, Riley Cars. Tattered Penguins and more Golden Syrup than I've got pudding bowls for. And the people. Scarecrows in a Suffolk pea field and a spooky allotment, and, where it all started, a Pink Panther worshipping in a medieval abbey. But probably best of all has been the happy band of commentators that give me as much pleasure as the posts themselves, and through their own blogs take me to worlds that I could never have dreamt existed. Thankyou everybody. (Takes out big onion and red spotted handkerchief.) As Toby Savage said very early on in this enterprise "We used to do this round a pub table". He's right, but it's now a very big table and all are welcome.

I've been saving the LNER book for today, the covers of which are a superb example of the art of Frank Newbould, who gave us some of the very best flat colour graphic posters of the 1930s. Designed for American tourists, the book simply gives a commentary of what can be seen from LNER trains or reached from their destinations. Including, oddly enough, much in Scotland.

20 comments:

Dave Lovely said...

Happy birthday! And many more to come, I hope. Your blog is an unmitigated delight.

Peter Ashley said...

Thankyou Dave, you're very welcome.

Ron Combo said...

Happy Anniversary, Lord Ashley of Slawston! I shall toast your blog with industrial quantities of cheap Italian wine this evening!

Affer said...

Happy Birthday! Apart from giving me huge pleasure in the reading, how good it has been to be introduced to such wonderful characters as Diplomat, Fred Fibonacci, Camilla Jessop, Jon Dudley and Ten Inch Wheels....all of whom, I am quite sure, exist only as products of your fertile imagination!

Jon Dudley said...

Well done Mr.A! May the skin of yer' arse never cover a banjo...as they say around these parts (quite why, I don't know). Ditto Ron's toast, but the drink shall be Harvey's Best Bitter.

Are we all merely walk-on parts in Mr. Ashley's cyber theatre of life? Has Mr. A-F-A stumbled on the truth? Is Camilla really a ruby-nosed old gent in a retirement home near Reigate?...surely not...my dreams will be shattered.

Philip Wilkinson said...

Given today's picture, I'll raise a glass of Jouster to you tonight. My happy returns.

Philip Wilkinson said...

That should have been MANY happy returns, but hope I return happily, too.

TIW said...

Happy birthday, Unmitigated England - an absolutely essential read.

Sue Imgrund said...

Many happy returns! Your Blog and books are a real lifeline to me out here behind the Sauerkraut curtain. Keep up the brilliant work.

Fred Fibonacci said...

Happy Birthday Dear Blog,
Happy Birthday Dear Blog!
Happy Birrrthdaaay Deeeeaaar Blo-og,
Happy Birthday Dear Blog.

Very well done Sir Peter. A landmark; and one of which you can be justifiably proud.

Ben Ashley said...

Good work!

They say that of all the billions of gigabytes of information posted to the internet, only a very small portion is actually worth reading.

Here, you've succeeded admirably.

Peter Ashley said...

Thankyou Ben. Are you the same Ben Ashley that some say is my eldest son?

Toby Savage said...

Happy Birthday Unmittigated England, and honoured to be mentioned Peter, but I am sure it was you who uttered the great literary line; "We used to do this round a pub table". I mearly nodded in agreement, not having the creative flair for such prose. You are spot on about the broadening of horizons though. Only this weekend I invested £4.50 and took a half hour trip into the darkness of Standedge tunnel in t'Yorkshire purely as a result of reading about it on A F-A's 'Fleeing from Academe' Blog.

Thud said...

It's been a pleasure...please continue.

doug Fitch said...

Happy Birthday UE!

Camilla Jessop said...

Many happy returns, dear Unmitigated England!

From a ruby-nosed old gent in Reigate...that's if you can seriously believe a man who has lobster claws instead of hands.

Jon Dudley said...

A good point Camilla. How could I have doubted you?

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